Mother hits out after teenage daughter's suicide is featured on top ten deaths website

A teenager's suicide was turned into sick entertainment on the internet before her ashes had even been scattered.

A few days after aspiring model Chelsea Smith, 16, hanged herself, her heartbroken family were horrified to discover she was featured on a website which glorifies suicide and violent deaths.

Her photo appeared on the site's "top ten deaths" and her story in a section called "suicide by rope".

The morbid, voyeuristic postings prompted Chelsea's family to back calls for suicide websites to be banned from the internet.

"This is the most horrific and sickening thing that can be done to a family suffering as we are," said Chelsea's mother, Trudy Young, 44, yesterday.

"As if knowing that Chelsea couldn't bear to be in this world isn't bad enough, hearing that her beautiful face is on a site like this has thrown us back into turmoil."

Urging others to boycott such sites, Mrs Young of Stratton, near Swindon, said: "There is no glory in causing your family this much misery.

"If Chelsea knew what this was doing to us all, she would have thought twice before she left us."

Similar websites have already been criticised for encouraging youngsters to kill themselves by glorifying suicide and even giving tips on how to do it.

The internet has also fallen under the spotlight following the series of deaths in Bridgend, South Wales.

Papyrus, a charity set up by concerned and bereaved parents to prevent the suicide of teenagers, is fighting for tighter regulation of such sites.

Spokesman Paul Kelly said they "may encourage other vulnerable young people to seek a moment of fame on the worldwide stage by taking their own lives".

"People who use these sites should be aware of the rights and sensibilities of the grieving families who may not wish to have the details of a loved one's death spread throughout the world in such a dispassionate way."

Chelsea, a talented dancer, killed herself in her bedroom on February 5. Her mother found her body when she returned home from a shopping trip.

Her mother said: "She'll always be the bossy, cheeky Chelsea we've always loved."

Chelsea's father, Simon Jeremias, 46, who lives in Birmingham, added: "I feel like a piece of my heart has been stolen."

In her letters to her family and closest friends, the teenager revealed why she killed herself, but the family have chosen to keep these private. Chelsea had her own page on the social networking website Bebo.

Her mother said: "We originally didn't give any details about how Chelsea died because - to be honest - it's nobody's business but ours.

"The fact remains that a teenage girl with everything to live for has left her family and friends with a life sentence.

"She wasn't looking for glory in her death, she wasn't linked to the Bridgend suicides and I am sick of hearing people guessing why she died."

She said she was appalled by the speed with which the details of Chelsea's death spread across networking sites.

At first, friends hacked into Chelsea's Bebo page and posted pictures of her on a so-called tribute website.

Her mother found out when Chelsea's 21-year-old sister, Kristy, told her.

Mrs Young said: "I was livid; my heart was in my mouth. I can't describe it.

"When she explained to me it was an 'in memoriam' site, I calmed down but hearing about this other site has brought about my worst fears."

The U.S.-based violent death site also lists dozens of murders, drownings, car crashes, drugs overdoses, freak accidents and even details of the deaths of military personnel on active service.

Its apparent creator was contacted by email by the Daily Mail. He claimed to live in the UK and to have recently sold the website.

"I started the site to reveal the amount of deaths that go unnoticed by national press and general public," he said in an email reply.

"The site was never invented to disrespect the posted stories.

"Unfortunately people will not agree with articles, even more when it involves a loved one. But the stories interest others, this is why the site has become so popular."

Samaritans spokesman Kate Redway said the support charity is working with internet bosses to make sure its site appears when the words "suicide" or "suicide methods" are typed in.