Child who died after alleged bullying incident had pre-existing medical condition, medical examiner says
A 12-year-old girl, Khimberly Zavaleta, died following an alleged bullying incident at school. The medical examiner determined her death was due to a pre-existing medical condition, specifically a spontaneously ruptured arteriovenous malformation. Her family is pursuing legal action against the school district, claiming negligence in protecting her during the incident.
- ▪Khimberly Zavaleta was struck in the head with a metal water bottle during a bullying incident at Reseda High School.
- ▪The medical examiner ruled her death was caused by a spontaneously ruptured cerebellar arteriovenous malformation.
- ▪Her family has filed a civil lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District for negligence.
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U.S. newsChild who died after alleged bullying incident had pre-existing medical condition, medical examiner says“Khimberly was alive before this happened. She is gone now. Plain and simple,” an attorney for the girl’s family said. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Khimberly Zavaleta.GoFundMeShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 20, 2026, 3:51 PM EDTBy Minyvonne BurkeA 12-year-old California girl who died in February after allegedly being struck in the head during what her family said was a bullying incident had a pre-existing medical condition that led to her death, according to the medical examiner.
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