ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A teenage girl who suffered a skull fracture in an after-school fight remains unconscious more than a week after she was hospitalized in critical condition.
The parents of Kaylee Gain, 16, shared their daughter’s condition in a statement Monday. The statement marks the family’s first public comments since Kaylee was severely beaten during a fight March 8 near Hazelwood East High School.
“The full scope and extent of Kaylee’s injuries and prognosis for recovery cannot be determined until, with God’s grace, she regains consciousness, and the family asks that you continue to keep Kaylee in your thoughts and prayers as she fights to recover,†the family said in the statement.
Footage of Gain’s brutal beating was widely shared after it was posted on social media. It showed another juvenile, who has not been identified by law enforcement, beat Gain’s skull into concrete on a residential street near Hazelwood East.
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Calls from public and government officials mounted to charge the other student as an adult. The decision would ultimately be up to a ºüÀêÊÓƵ County juvenile court judge.
“Although the family would like justice to eventually be served through the legal system, their focus at this time is dedicated exclusively to Kaylee’s recovery,†Gain’s parents said in the statement.
“The family also asks all members of the community at large to come together to denounce teen violence and bullying as there have been far too many recent examples of teen violence that have resulted in significant injuries, and even deaths in some instances,†the statement continued.
The incident at Hazelwood happened just four days before a student at Rose Mary Johnson Jennings Junior High School student was stabbed and killed in a fight near the school.
Justin Brooks, 14, was a “star athleteâ€Â and died at a hospital. His mother started yesterday to help cover funeral costs.
GoFundMe campaigns set up to support Gain and her family have raised nearly $400,000 as of Monday afternoon.