Kaylee Gain’s family reveals teen is missing part of skull after beating outside Missouri high school

The family of Kaylee Gain, the 16-year-old who was critically injured in a fight at a Missouri high school, has said that the teenager had part of her skull removed while recovering in the hospital.

Bryan Kaemmerer, an attorney representing the teenager’s family, said that the procedure, known as a craniectomy, was done to remove some of the pressure on the girl’s brain. She’s now required to wear a custom helmet to protect her brain should she fall.

The teenager is scheduled to undergo another surgery to reattach the missing part of her skull, which will require her to be hospitalized again, the attorney said.

The update is the latest her family has given on the child’s condition since 1 April. She’s currently at home after being hospitalized for a month and spending two weeks at an in-patient rehabilitation facility.

The teen attends physical and speech therapy three times a week and experiences short-term memory loss. She’s also working with a counselor to address her mental well-being as she “copes with the trauma, fear and pain that have arisen from this incident,” her attorney said.

A certification hearing for Maurnice DeClue, the 15-year-old accused of beating Kaylee on 8 March near Hazelwood East High School in St Louis took place on Friday. The purpose of the hearing is to determine if the teenager should be charged as an adult.

Juvenile officers previously recommended that DeClue be charged with first-degree assault, triggering Friday’s hearing. The Independent has reached out to an attorney for the teenager for comment.

Video of the March incident circulated online and showed another girl repeatedly slamming Kaylee’s head into the concrete.

Her family knows that the child’s path to recovery is a long one, her attorney said. The teen will undergo extensive neuropsychological testing later this summer to assess the long-term impacts of her injuries.

Commenting on the legal proceedings, the attorney said, “The family is confident in the legal system, and trusts that the Judge will make an appropriate decision based on all of the facts and evidence in the case. The family will respect the Court's ruling, regardless of the outcome.”

A GoFundMe page for the teenager has reached just over $50,000 out of a $100,000 goal. Clinton Gain, the child’s dad, said: “We are so incredibly blessed with all the support and so encouraged by how well Kaylee is doing. We are happy to have her back home with us to continue her healing journey,” in an update posted to the fundraising site.