A close friend of Rehtaeh Parsons – the Canadian teenager whose shocking death sparked a global outcry and changed the law – has revealed she has moved house and can no longer visit the grave she tended for years.

The emotional admission, posted on the official Angel Rehtaeh Parsons memorial Facebook page, has left supporters of the tragic teen heartbroken once more.

‘I moved & no longer live 5min from Rehtaeh’s graveside. I used to pop by to tidy and wiped down her headstone. Thankfully, her friend Bryony Jollimore stopped by yesterday to clean it,’ the post reads.

The simple but devastating words have reignited memories of the bright, fun-loving 17-year-old whose life was cut short in the most horrific circumstances – and whose legacy continues to touch lives more than a decade later.

Rehtaeh Anne Parsons died on April 7, 2013, after she was taken off life support following a suicide attempt. Her death came 17 months after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by four boys at a party in Nova Scotia while she was heavily intoxicated.

Photos of the alleged assault were taken on a mobile phone and circulated widely among her school friends and beyond. What followed was months of merciless cyberbullying and slut-shaming that left the once-confident girl a shell of her former self.

Her mother Leah Parsons has never stopped fighting for justice – or for her daughter’s name to be remembered.

Now, this latest update from the graveside has shown how even those closest to Rehtaeh are struggling to keep her memory alive in the most practical, tender ways.

For years, one devoted friend lived just five minutes from the cemetery in Halifax where Rehtaeh is buried. Every week she would make the short journey to wipe away dirt, pull weeds, and make sure the headstone gleamed – a quiet, private ritual of love for the girl she lost far too soon.

But life moves on. The friend has relocated, and the daily ritual that brought her comfort has ended.

‘Thankfully, her friend Bryony Jollimore stopped by yesterday to clean it,’ the post continues, the relief palpable even in the short sentence.

Bryony Jollimore was Rehtaeh’s best friend – the girl who watched helplessly as her fun-loving companion changed schools four times in 18 months, desperate to escape the whispers and the vile messages that followed her everywhere.

In interviews years later, Bryony spoke of the day Rehtaeh suddenly switched schools and changed her phone number without telling anyone. She had no idea her best friend was carrying such a heavy secret.

Now a mother herself, Bryony honoured Rehtaeh by giving her own daughter the middle name Rehtaeh – a living tribute to the friend she still mourns.

That she stepped in to clean the headstone just days ago has been hailed as a beautiful act of friendship that spans more than a decade of grief.

The post doesn’t stop there. It adds that the family now needs to replace the memorial plaque at Rehtaeh’s former junior high school – another small but vital way her name lives on in the places she once walked.

The news comes as Canada continues to grapple with the legacy of Rehtaeh’s case.

Her death led directly to ‘Rehtaeh’s Law’ – groundbreaking legislation that made it illegal to distribute intimate images without consent. It also prompted a national conversation about cyberbullying, victim-blaming and the failures of the justice system that left her family feeling abandoned.

At the time, police initially closed the investigation without charges, claiming there was ‘no evidence’ despite the explicit photos that had been shared thousands of times.

Only after public pressure and a review by the Nova Scotia Justice Minister were two of the boys charged – one with distributing child pornography and the other with making child pornography.

The sentences were widely criticised as far too lenient.

Rehtaeh’s funeral in April 2013 drew 500 mourners, including the then-premier of Nova Scotia. Pink and purple flowers – her favourite colours – filled the church as her mother Leah delivered a powerful eulogy.

‘She was smart, funny, loved horses and art,’ Leah told the congregation. ‘She had her whole life ahead of her.’

But behind the smiles, Rehtaeh had been broken.

The images of her alleged assault had spread like wildfire. Classmates called her a slut. Strangers messaged her vile abuse. She changed schools repeatedly, yet the torment followed.

On April 4, 2013, she attempted to hang herself in the family home in Dartmouth. She was rushed to hospital but never regained consciousness. Three days later, with her family at her bedside, life support was turned off.

She was just 17.

In the years since, Leah Parsons has turned her unimaginable pain into purpose. She has spoken at schools, lobbied politicians, and kept the Angel Rehtaeh Parsons Facebook page active as a place of remembrance and education.

The page now has tens of thousands of followers who regularly share stories of how Rehtaeh’s story changed their own lives.

And the grave itself has become a site of pilgrimage.

Visitors leave painted rocks, flowers, and notes. For years, the friend who lived five minutes away ensured it was always tidy – a silent guardian of the final resting place.

Her moving announcement has struck a chord with followers.

Comments flooded in: ‘This broke my heart all over again.’ ‘Bryony is an angel for stepping up.’ ‘Rehtaeh is still loved by so many.’

One supporter wrote: ‘The fact that people are still tending her grave 12 years later shows how powerful her legacy is.’

Another added: ‘Moving house is hard enough, but losing the ability to visit your friend’s grave every week must feel like losing her twice.’

The post also highlights a practical need – replacing the memorial plaque at the junior high school Rehtaeh attended.

It’s a small plaque, but one that carries huge meaning for students who walk past it every day.

Leah Parsons has not commented publicly on the latest update, but the page continues to be run with her blessing.

Friends and supporters are already offering to help fund the new plaque and to take turns visiting the grave now that one regular visitor can no longer do so.

It is a testament to the extraordinary community that has grown around Rehtaeh’s memory.

From the ashes of tragedy, something beautiful has emerged – a network of people determined that no other girl should suffer the same fate.

Rehtaeh’s story has been told in documentaries, books, and countless news reports around the world.

But it is the small, personal acts – like wiping down a headstone on a quiet afternoon – that perhaps speak loudest about the love that refuses to die.

Bryony Jollimore, now in her late 20s and a mother, has never stopped speaking Rehtaeh’s name.

In 2018 she told CBC: ‘I refuse to let her be forgotten. She was my best friend.’

That she cleaned the grave ‘yesterday’ – as the post put it – shows that promise is still being kept.

For the friend who moved away, the five-minute drive that once brought comfort is gone.

But the bond remains.

And somewhere in a Halifax cemetery, Rehtaeh’s headstone now shines a little brighter thanks to a friend who stepped in when another had to step back.

It is a story of loss, of moving on, and of friendship that endures beyond death.

A story that, even 12 years later, still has the power to move us all.

The Angel Rehtaeh Parsons page has urged supporters to share the post and to consider how they can keep Rehtaeh’s memory alive in their own communities.

Whether it’s painting a rock, talking to their children about consent, or simply saying her name – every small act counts.

Because Rehtaeh Parsons was more than a victim.

She was a daughter, a friend, a girl who loved horses and art and dreamed of a future that was stolen from her.

And as long as people like her friends continue to tend her grave, wipe down her headstone, and fight for change, her light will never go out.