The mother of a Halifax teenager who killed herself after allegedly being raped and photographed by four boys is making a public plea for people to leave the boys linked to the allegations alone.

Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, died on the weekend after trying to take her life last Thursday. Leah Parsons says her daughter was raped by four boys when she was 15, and then became the victim of bullying and harassment after a picture taken on the night of the alleged attack was circulated.
'I want the justice system to go after those boys for sending those pictures, she was 15 years old,' Parsons said. 'I don't want people to go after those boys. People are threatening to do that.'

Since Rehtaeh's story became public, there has been outrage expressed online. On Wednesday, the words 'Nova Scotia' were trending on Twitter worldwide.

Parsons took to Facebook to tell her daughter's story and shame the unnamed alleged perpetrators. Wednesday morning, an online petition calling for an inquiry into the police investigation had garnered more than 6,000 signatures. By Wednesday night that number jumped to more than 60,000 signatures.

'I don't want more bullying. Rehtaeh wouldn't want more bullying. I don't think that's justice,' Parsons said.

She called the police investigation into the case horrible, but said she doesn't want vigilantes to.