Emma Boland, 15, was found dead by her father after being reported missing on the same day she discovered a social media post about a past relationship had been circulated around her school

A transitioning teen found dead by her father took her own life after finding out about a social media post about her sent around her school.

Emma Boland, 15, was said to have been “greatly upset” by the contents of the Instagram post, said to have included details about a former relationship of hers with another pupil.

Another pupil described to Oxford Coroner’s Court how Emma, who was born Christopher, was holding her ‘head in her hands’ and saying the Instagram post had been ‘misunderstood’.

On January 17 this year Emma returned to her home in Bampton, Oxfordshire, at around 3.20pm then left to see a friend about 10 minutes later.

When she did not return home by 6.30pm her mother called her friends and found out “something had happened at school that day and it was concerning social media.”

She rang the police and reported Emma missing.

Her father, Stuart, discovered his daughter by Shill Brook, around a 20 minute walk from her home.

A post-mortem gave the cause of death as hanging.

In a statement summarised by the coroner, Mr Boland said Emma had previously struggled with poor mental health.

Shortly before Christmas 2021, a few weeks before her death, she decided she wanted to be known as Emma and began the process of transitioning from male to female.

Her father told the proceedings: “Everyone was very supportive.”

Emma was reportedly a high-achieving student.

The post, which did not name anyone directly, was said by senior coroner Darren Salter to have ‘included details of a past personal relationship that Emma had with a girl of the same age previously’.

The post was reported to Joe Winter, deputy headteacher at Faringdon Community College, on January 17 by the Year 11 lead, who had been approached by a pupil.

Mr Winter was said to have decided that an investigation into the post would continue the following day.

The school was informed shortly before 8pm that Emma had been reported missing.

Recording a conclusion of suicide, Mr Salter said it appeared Emma had intended to take her own life but that it had happened ‘in the context of what appears to be great upset and that, of course, is very, very regrettable indeed’.

He said: “It is right that the school and others review the processes in this sad case.”

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