The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined that a 12-year-old Reseda girl who died in February after a bullying incident at her school died from a naturally occurring brain condition, not a traumatic injury.
On Feb. 17, Khimberly was struck in the back of the head by an aluminum water bottle while at school. She was taken to a hospital complaining of a headache, but was discharged the same day. Four days later, on Feb. 21, her condition deteriorated drastically and she was rushed back to the hospital, where the arteriovenous malformation—known as an AVM—was diagnosed. She died at 3:12 a.m. on Feb. 25.
"She was only twelve," the family wrote on the fundraising page.
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo explained the medical importance of AVMs in a statement included in the press release. "Arteriovenous malformations are an assembly of fragile, tangled, high-pressure blood vessels that are prone to spontaneously rupturing, especially when located in the region of the brain as discovered in Khimberly," he said. "Catastrophic bleeding due to a rupture develops quickly—within seconds to minutes—and is immediately life-threatening. Unfortunately, as in Khimberly's case, spontaneous rupture is a common initial presentation of an AVM."
According to the medical examiner, a deputy medical examiner examined Khimberly on March 3 at the department's Forensic Science Center. The cause and manner of death were formally certified May 19, with a full report to be released at a later date.
Despite the natural manner of death ruling, the case has not been without criminal consequences. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on April 2 that a juvenile had been arrested in connection with Khimberly's death. The LAPD had previously opened a homicide investigation into the case, police confirmed in statements to local news sources.
Robert Glassman, an attorney with the law firm Panish Shea Ravipudi representing Khimberly's family, addressed the arrest at the time. "This arrest is an important step toward accountability, but an arrest alone does not equal justice and does not answer the larger question of how this was allowed to happen in the first place," he said in a statement to numerous outlets.
The Los Angeles Unified School District said in a statement to NTD News that it was "deeply saddened by the death of a Reseda High School student." The district did not comment on the new findings or its current civil case related to the incident.
Students at Reseda High School held a campus protest in the days following her death. "We want justice for her," said Khimberly's friend Dayari Diaz, who helped organize the demonstration. "The school is not doing anything."
According to the GoFundMe page, more than $149,000 of a $200,000 goal had been raised to help cover medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, and to give her parents and siblings time and space to grieve. The family described Khimberly as the baby of the family who loved music, volleyball and walks with her two dogs.
"Every donation matters and sends a message: Her life mattered and bullying must be stopped," her family wrote.
NTD News has contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and Glassman seeking additional details.