What happened to Shaylee Mejia? GoFundMe raises over $18,000 as LA teen dies from injuries allegedly sustained during school fight

The mother of 16-year-old Shaylee Mejia is seeking justice after her daughter died from injuries allegedly sustained during a fight. Shaylee Mejia's mother, Maria Juarez, told KTLA that her daughter Shaylee Mejia, who had attended Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles for eight months, was rushed to a hospital on March 9 after fainting at a party with friends.

The teen, who remained unconscious for a week due to a brain haemorrhage, reportedly died on March 15, 2024. A week after her death, Maria Juarez retained a lawyer, Luis Carrillo, to seek justice for her daughter, who was allegedly bullied at school.

Juarez believes her daughter’s death is the result of a head injury allegedly inflicted by another student during a fight on March 5, 2024, when her head was slammed against a bathroom stall.

A GuFundMe campaign organized by a community member in the wake of Shaylee Mejia’s passing to help her mom, Maria Juarez, pay for funeral expenses has raised over $18,000. The fundraise skiing for $30,000 said:

“We are trying to save money to help Shay’s mom with the funeral expenses. If anything helps please help us put Shaylee to rest. Her death was very tragic to many of us.”

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Police say Shaylee Mejia died after falling down a flight of stairs at a party

Maria Juarez contends her daughter Shaylee Mejia was a victim of systematic bullying at school who allegedly ignored her complaints. Maria Juarez said to her knowledge, her daughter was a victim of two physical altercations, one in December 2023 and another in March.

Juarez provided a video of the fight to KTLA that allegedly occurred days before her daughter lost consciousness at a gathering with friends.

The video recorded on March 5 by other students showed two girls engaged in a brutal physical altercation in the school bathroom. Juarez believes her daughter’s brain injuries were sustained during the fight.

Juarez said while she was unaware of her daughter’s injuries at the time, the hospital staff reportedly told her she had multiple brain injuries. However, police, in a statement to Eyewitness News, said the teen died after falling down the stairs on March 9, 2024.

Police said on March 9 officers responded to a report of a victim at a party who fell down a flight of stairs. However, Juarez and her attorney are resolute in their belief there were no stairs at the party.

Maria Juarez said she went to the school with her concerns after her daughter was bruised following an incident in December but felt dismissed by authorities. In a statement to Eyewitness News, The Los Angeles Unified School District said:

"While this tragic incident took place outside of school hours and off campus, our heartfelt thoughts remain with those affected by this loss ..."

In response, Juarez’s attorney told the outlet the fights occured on campus where the officials failed to protect the student.

“The beatings were in Manual Arts High School, where these inept administrators did not protect her daughter."

Juarez, a single mother of two who works as a hotel housekeeper, said her daughter dreamt of becoming a nurse and help ease her financial burdens.