Family shares stories of young man's life, struggles; mother calls for stronger response to bullying by school

Mar. 29—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Tanya Eppley-Lunetto said her son, Brandyn Truscott, was gentle and kind, and she never worried about him getting into trouble.

He was rarely on his phone and didn't have social media accounts, but loved playing video games on his Xbox.

"He was, like, the best kid ever," Eppley-Lunetto said.

But the Forest Hills School District mother said her son struggled with feelings of seclusion and allegedly experienced bullying.

Brandyn took his life on March 11, his mother said. The Tribune-Democrat does not report on suicides unless they involve public figures, occur in public places or involve a community concern. In this case, the family came forward to speak.

Eppley-Lunetto said her son "kept everything in."

Truscott's paternal grandfather, Aaron Truscott, said his grandson was almost never in a bad mood, upset or worried, and was always curious about the world.

"He was a thinker," the grandfather said.

The pair were close from the time Brandyn was young.

Aaron Truscott said they often did woodworking together, starting when his grandson was around 4 or 5 years old. That interest grew to building birdhouses and doghouses, and helping his grandfather with other projects.

"He would come to my house and say, 'Pappy, we need to get some tools,' " Aaron Truscott said. "He wanted to do some work."

Brandyn also enjoyed reading and had an interest in Russian history, his grandfather said. Eppley-Lunetto said her son had recently taught himself cursive writing.

'Fall through the cracks'

Eppley-Lunetto said Brandyn transferred to Forest Hills in elementary school and had trouble fitting in.

In 2019, when he was in fifth grade, an alleged bullying incident culminated in Brandyn coming home with a black eye, and the matter was addressed by the school, she said.

However, Eppley-Lunetto said that reporting the alleged bullying may have made the situation worse for her son.

At the time, her cousin, Casey Bassett, also got involved at Eppley-Lunetto's request and met with school officials.

Bassett said he wanted to lend a hand because he alleges he was bullied during his time at Forest Hills and wanted better for his cousin's son. Bassett graduated in 2007.

Members of the Forest Hills community have banded together behind Eppley- Lunetto and put pressure on the school district to address bullying.

During a three-hour school board meeting on March 14, dozens of parents, students and community members spoke about their experiences, said they were saddened to learn of Brandyn's death — and demanded change from school leaders.

At the board meeting, Eppley-Lunetto asked community members to be kind to each other and come together to make sure no other student faces that level of anxiety. She now says she has changed her mind and wants more accountability from the school district.

Eppley-Lunetto and Bassett are raising awareness about Truscott's life and accusing school leaders of not doing enough to help the young man. They've created the website brandynslaw.org and Facebook page Brandyn's Law Anti-Bullying Movement.

"The school let Brandyn fall through the cracks," Bassett said.

Bassett and Eppley-Lunetto said they also want a stronger response to alleged bullying and consequences for those students' parents.

Some people, including adults, have taken the issue further and posted what district officials described as threats toward students and faculty online, according to a Forest Hills press release.

That situation has led to the FBI joining a probe launched by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Cambria County District Attorney's Office into the posts.

Superintendent David Lehman previously said that he has students who are scared because of what was posted and that the messages may constitute "potential criminal activity."

Bassett posted on his "Forest Hills" Facebook page that the goal of the family's effort is not to cause "more harm or (put) individuals at risk unnecessarily."

The post said: "Assigning blame to specific people without a fair process can shift focus from ... the true tragedy (the death of a teenage student)."

Lehman said this is a difficult time and the community is grieving together.

"Our hearts are with Brandyn's family and we are committed to providing them with support and compassion," he said.

The superintendent said: "We recognize the profound importance of learning from these experiences and we are dedicated to ongoing improvement. Several thoughtful suggestions provided by the family and community members have already been implemented as part of our continuous efforts to enhance our practices.

"As the investigation into this case unfolds, we understand the need for discretion and sensitivity. Therefore, we are unable to provide specific details regarding the circumstances at this time. Please know that our focus remains on supporting the affected families and our entire school community throughout this process."

Bassett said he and Eppley-Lunetto want "transformative, structural reform" at Forest Hills and all schools.

"I'm not going to give up for him," Eppley-Lunetto said.