The City of Angels was shaken by the tragic death of 16-year-old Shaylee Mejia following a physical altercation at Manual Arts High School. The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the incident an "accidental" death caused by "Sequelae of blunt head trauma." A video caught the fight on March 5 that led to Mejia hitting her head against a bathroom stall before dropping to the ground.

Despite the initial ruling, Shaylee's mother, Maria Juarez, firmly believes that her daughter did not die by chance. She claimed to KTLA that the deadly injuries were a direct result of the bathroom brawl. Juarez further added that Shaylee "began coming home with bruises all over her body, presumably from fights," not long after she enrolled in the school. The distressed mother maintained that she had alerted the school about the bullying her daughter faced, but to no avail.

Further adding to the controversy, Los Angeles police informed Eyewitness News that detectives responded to an incident where the victim allegedly fell down a flight of stairs. Contradicting the police account, Juarez argued that her daughter "did not fall down any stairs" but fainted at a party due to injuries she sustained days earlier. Following the fainting spell, Mejia was rushed to a hospital by a friend but never regained consciousness.

The official report from the medical examiner's office is yet to be finalized, leaving Shaylee's grieving family to hope for answers. The high school student passed away on March 15, leaving behind a narrative filled not just with sorrow, but with the pressing need to address the underlying issue of safety within school walls.