The autopsy of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta, revealed by the Los Angeles County Coroner on Tuesday, May 19, has upended the bullying case that made headlines after she was struck with a metal water bottle by a fellow student in February.
While it was previously believed that Zavaleta lost her life due to complications arising from the injuries she sustained during the violent altercation, the autopsy states that a birth condition caused her departure.
The Zavaleta family’s attorney, Robert Glassman, dismissed the finding, saying the girl’s condition had posed no risk to her life beforehand while continuing to seek accountability for the tragedy.
The autopsy “ignores the undeniable reality of what happened,” he said.
Khimberly Zavaleta’s autopsy revealed her shocking cause of demise
Zavaleta had stepped in to protect her sister from a bully at Reseda High School on February 17 when she was attacked.
The blow left her with severe headaches, but after being taken to the emergency room, she was deemed fine.
Days later, though, her condition deteriorated. She reportedly collapsed after suffering a brain hemorrhage and was rushed back to the hospital.
She was placed into an induced coma, and a brain surgery was performed as a treatment; however, she passed away on February 25 after suffering heart failure.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced on April 2 that they had arrested Zavaleta’s attacker on suspicion of homicide. They kept their identity concealed.
Zavaleta’s autopsy, establishing her demise was “natural,” has complicated the case.
The report from the medical examiner claims the girl’s passing was due to a ruptured cerebellar arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
“AVMs are an assembly of fragile, tangled high-pressure blood vessels that are prone to spontaneous rupture, especially when located in the region of the brain, as discovered in Zavaleta,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo said.
“Catastrophic bleeding due to a rupture develops quickly — within seconds to minutes — and is immediately life-threatening. Unfortunately, as in Zavaleta’s case, spontaneous rupture is a common initial presentation of an AVM,” he added.
The autopsy did not confirm whether the blow to the head caused the rupture, but the family’s lawyer strongly believes it did
Glassman spoke to the Daily Mail after the autopsy was revealed and said the examiner’s conclusion “ignores the undeniable reality of what happened.”
“Before this incident, Zavaleta was a healthy, vibrant 12-year-old girl with no symptoms, no medical crisis, and no indication that her AVM posed any danger to her life,” he said.
@univision34“No puedo con este dolor”, desconsolada, esta madre intenta sostenerse mientras enfrenta la peor pesadilla para una madre: la pérdida de su hija de 12 años tras una pelea en Reseda High School.♬ original sound – Univision 34 Los Ángeles
“Then she was struck in the head at school with an aluminum water bottle, complained of serious head pain, and within days suffered catastrophic brain bleeding that took her life.”
Glassman added, “If Zavaleta had an underlying condition that made her more vulnerable, that does not excuse the conduct that led to her d**th.”
“That kid was m**dered,” one netizen said in agreement, while another wrote, “This story is going from bad to worse.”
“Let a jury decide what charge that bully should face,” advised a third.
Khimberly Zavaleta’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles school district
Zavaleta’s family accused the Los Angeles Unified School District, which Reseda High School is part of, of ignoring their previous complaints of bullying involving Zavaleta’s sister.
The case goes beyond a single individual, they argued.
“Schools have a legal duty to protect the children in their care,” Glassman said. “When there are warning signs of escalating violence, intervention is not optional — it is required.”
“This tragedy demands a full and transparent investigation, not just into the individuals involved, but into the systems that failed this child.”
The school district released a statement following Zavaleta’s passing, saying they were “deeply saddened” by it.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the student’s family, friends, and the entire school community,” the district said, adding that they are cooperating with law enforcement and providing counseling and support services to those affected.
“The district takes the safety and well-being of our students very seriously,” the statement read
Social media users have demanded that the school principal be fired.
“Someone at the school needs to be held accountable,” one person wrote.
Other comments focused on measures to ensure safety at schools, with one person suggesting that authorities should “ban those metal water bottles/cups.”
Concerns about how common bullying still is were also echoed.
“It’s 2026 — you’d think bullying awareness would have improved significantly. Surprised it still goes on,” one wrote.
“This is so heartbreaking,” a netizen said about the case
