Josie Lou Ratley is making national news coverage, however not in the way a teenager would like attention. 15 year-old Josie Lou Ratley is a victim of what many are calling "text rage". Wayne Treacy , a 15-year-old allegedly beat Josie Lou nearly to death. His only contact ever he had with the 8th grader Josie Lou Ratley, was a brief flurry of text messages earlier that day, Florida police say.
The disturbing pictures show a battered (photo below in slideshow and on article), black-and-blue child with tubes in her mouth. Doctors had removed part of her skull to relieve swelling on her brain.
Ratley's family said Josie has no health insurance and will need money to pay for her medical bills.
To assist the family financially for the medical care and follow up care for Josie, you can do so through a directed trust account that has been set up at Wachovia Bank in care of the Law Office of Garden and Donor for the benefit of Josie Lou Ratley. The Wachovia bank is located at 2989 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - CBS 4
According to Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti, 13 year-old Kayla Manson (see photo below in slideshow) led 15-year-old Wayne Treacy to Josie Lou Ratley, 15, after the two older teens had exchanged increasingly combative text messages. Treacy is accused of beating Ratley savagely and stomping her with steel-toe boots on Wednesday.
Kayla, the 13-year-old girl and Treacy had been dating, but broke up, Lamberti said. Treacy was trying to reach the girl, who did not have a cellphone, and contacted her friend Ratley. She told him in text messages that she did not approve of the relationship. - Miami Herald
Youth violence and school violence: Risk and Protective Factors
Research on youth violence has helped us better understand the factors that make some populations more likely to commit violent acts. Such risk factors increase the likelihood that a young person will become violent, but they may not be the direct cause of youth or school violence. Detailed information about the risk and protective factors associated with youth violence is available here.
Source: CDC
Be an educated parent, you will have safer teens.
Watch video and slideshow below.
Comments
I am fully aware this is a sensitive subject, but you have to wonder what the text messages said. Josie sure is beautiful, and I remember what kind of anger a self absorbed girl her age is capable of creating with a few simple text messages.
The media is blaming technology but this should serve as a wake up call to all the pretty and shallow girls in the world (and there are many) who think they can get away with anything because of who and what they are. She was described as an aspiring artist, her best work got her beaten an inch from her life.
Josie ratley is not one to blame. She seems like a loving girl, whos friends enjoy her company. And yes you do have to wonder what the messages said. But we dont know. She may have said something that made him upset but that is no excuse for him to go to extremes. I am praying for josie and hope she can continue with her art.
"...remember what kind of anger a self absorbed girl her age is capable of creating with a few simple text messages." This horribly violent act should be "a wake up call to all the pretty and shallow girls in the world" ??????
Are you freaking serious? I assume you're an adult, TS, which makes me even more despondent about the future of our very violent society. If you can excuse what was done to this girl because of some "kind of anger" she might have "created" with some silly text messages, what can we expect of a troubled, possibly psychotic and obviously self-absorbed 15-year old boy? Your comments are so very reprehensible, you should be ashamed of yourself!
Wow! TS you are an idiot and should be ashamed of yourself. It is clearly obvious that you were wronged by some so called "pretty people." That is scary that you would side with such a monster. I think you need a psyc evaluation STAT!!!!
How do the police know she sent the text message. His girlfriend could have used the girls phone to send those messages to anger him and then pointed her out when he confronted her. Possible motives could have been that she was jelouse of her or simply just wanted to get him angry. You have to read the text messages carefully and try to determine if they are information that a none - girlfriend would know about him. To anger another peron you would need to know what pushes a persons buttons or what they consider to be important to them and a stranger does not have that information on you but a close "friend" does. The police should be informed and look into it more. Some girls are crazy and they are taught not to be confrontational and hence they use other means as a way to communicate their anger.
This is a case of CLEAR-CUT MISOGYNY. What is this BS about "text-rage" or "teen violence"--Boys are trained by society to hate girls and women. This Shi! is everywhere. Wake Up, Women. Do Something. Learn your history.
Investigators are now speculating that
Kayla Manson (who is Wayne Treacy's
girl-friend & Josie Ratley's best-friend)
was the the person who may likely have
sent the baiting-texts to Wayne Treacy ---
after Kayla borrowed Josie's cell phone.
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