She hasn't returned to school, which still pulses with gossip over the incident, and few have afforded her much compassion. Among the dozens of students interviewed by New Times, not one defended her. Most criticized her, citing her reputation at school. Nor has her family been a source of empathy. According to a police report, Jessica's grandmother warned the authorities that Jessica's mother is a "homeless drug user who will try to take away any benefits [Jessica] may receive as a result of this incident."
Then on a Tuesday afternoon last month, Jessica's grandfather answered the door to the apartment he shares with the child's grandmother. It was black inside. A television faintly played somewhere in the dark. "She brought this on herself," the gap-toothed man said of his granddaughter. "She put herself in harm's way, and that's just how I feel."
He declined to say where Jessica is now. Who's taking care of her? Was she all right?
"She's been put away, and that's all I'll say," he said curtly, shaking his head, and closed the door.