TEXAS CITY, Texas – The family of Brandy Vela is still heartbroken over he suicide and they can't understand why the bullying is continuing. Her father said he is determined and won't stop until there's harsher punishments for bullies.
Raul Vela doesn't know who sent them, but is touched by the anonymous Christmas gifts left in his mailbox each morning in memory of his daughter.
"Each gift is different. This one is a bird and different bags," Raul Vela said.
He said it doesn't feel like Christmas without his little girl around. He even took down his tree.
"Our Christmas spirit was shattered and we just couldn't find it in us to celebrate without our baby girl," Raul Vela said.
Raul Vela said that bullying has even continued after her death. Police have been looking into who may be behind it all. Raul Vela said it will be a long process, but he won't rest until justice is served.
"I was just hoping that while my family gets together for Christmas, and we're grieving that somebody would be sitting in jail, but I'm pretty certain that day will come," Raul Vela said.
He said won't stop fighting to keep others from suffering the same fate. He plans to bring the issue before Congress hoping to pass a law for harsher punishments for cyber bullies.
"The penalties need to be a lot stricter. So I think if we were able to accomplish that in the coming years, we would be helping a lot of people, and I think the cowards would actually think about it before they do it," Raul Vela said.
The Vela family is asking for your help signing a petition that will ask the federal government to take cyber-bullying punishment to the next level.