Teen at Center of 'Nightmare in Maryville' Rape Case In Stable Condition After Attempted Suicide

The Missouri teenager who garnered international attention for her alleged rape in 2012 is in stable condition after attempting suicide, a family friend told a local newspaper.

Robin Bourland, a longtime acquaintance familiar with the situation, told The Kansas Star that Daisy Coleman remains at the hospital after swallowing a number of pills Sunday evening.

[sharequote align="center"]“It’s been heartbreaking for them."[/sharequote]

“It’s been heartbreaking for them,” Bourland told the newspaper. “This has been a really long, drawn-out battle, and it’s heartbreaking to see something like this happening.”

According to Bourland, the suicide attempt was triggered from online harassment that "just escalated." It's the third time she has tried to kill herself, her mother said, according to the Washington Post.

Daisy Coleman. (Image Source: xojane.com)

Coleman found herself at the center of what was called the "Nightmare in Maryville" rape case in October. The teenager was the subject of ridicule after she said she was raped by an older boy in January of 2012 and left for dead outside in the freezing cold.

At the time, Coleman said in a first-person essay that she had considered suicide, often "pondering the worth of my life."

“I burned and carved the ugly I saw into my arms, wrists, legs and anywhere I could find room,” she wrote.

Prosecutors had initially dropped charges against the 17-year-old accused of raping Coleman, insisting their investigation collapsed after the Colemans became uncooperative with investigators and refused to answer questions. Others, however, hinted that the charges may have been dropped due to one of the youth’s connections to a longtime local political figure.

After renewed interest, a new prosecutor was appointed in October to reexamine the case.

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