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Tehachapi Teen Who Endured Gay Taunts Memorialized

TEHACHAPI (AP) — More than 500 people attended a memorial service for a 13-year-old Central California boy who hanged himself after enduring taunts from classmates about being gay.

Seth Walsh was remembered Friday night in Tehachapi as a warm-hearted teen who loved to laugh. His 11-year-old brother Shawn called him the funniest person he knew.

Seth Walsh died Tuesday, nine days after he was found unconcious in his backyard. He had been in a coma.

Tehachapi Police Chief Jeff Kermode told the Bakersfield Californian that investigators interviewed some of the teenagers who allegedly taunted Seth for being gay and concluded no crime was committed.

Seth's mother, Judy Walsh, said the family is not interested in casting blame and wanted his memorial service to be a call for tolerance.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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