Friday, January 18, 2013

14 Year Old Girl Missing After Beating


Carlsbad teen disappears after fight video posts online

Baileigh Karam last seen Jan. 11


SAN DIEGO - A bullied teenager remains missing after video of a fight at Carlsbad High School surfaced online.

In the cellphone video posted on Facebook, 14-year-old Baileigh Karam is seen being struck repeatedly by a classmate as a crowd of students watched, cheered and recorded the incident on their cellphones. Karam is also heard several times begging her attacker to stop.

Karam has been missing since last Friday, when the video first appeared online.

"I don't know where she is. I just want to get her home. We just need her here. We need to know she's healthy and safe," said Karam's mother.

Karam's mother said she warned the school her daughter was being bullied.
2nd article:



Missing: Baileigh Karam, 14, of Carlsbad, California, disappeared last Friday after a video surfaced online of her being struck repeatedly by a classmate
Missing: Baileigh Karam, 14, of Carlsbad, California, disappeared last Friday after a video surfaced online of her being struck repeatedly by a classmate
Video: Baileigh, left, is seen being hit repeatedly by a female classmate who has not been identified
Video: Baileigh, left, is seen being hit repeatedly by a female classmate who has not been identified
'The other girl just punched her over and over and over, while my daughter was saying "stop, stop." And the crowd was egging it on,' Karam's mother, Karen Karam, told CBS8.
The fight was over a boy, she said.
'I don't know where she is,' Karam said. ' I just want to get her home. We just need her here. We need to know she's healthy and safe.' 
Karam said she had warned the school that her daughter was being bullied. School officials spoke to each of the girls before the fight broke out. The attacker has not been named. 
Baileigh tries to shield herself from her attacker but the other girl grabs onto her sweatshirt and keeps hitting her
Baileigh tries to shield herself from her attacker but the other girl grabs onto her sweatshirt and keeps hitting her
Baileigh tries to shield herself from her attacker but the other girl grabs onto her sweatshirt and keeps hitting her
At one point, Baileigh falls backward and a student watching the fight pushes her back toward her attacker
At one point, Baileigh falls backward and a student watching the fight pushes her back toward her attacker
At one point, Baileigh falls backward and a student watching the fight pushes her back toward her attacker
Devastated: 'The other girl just punched her over and over and over, while my daughter was saying
Devastated: 'The other girl just punched her over and over and over, while my daughter was saying "stop, stop." And the crowd was egging it on,' said Karam's mother, Karen Karam
'A girl and her boyfriend had broken up and Baileigh and the other boy started liking each other and had a connection, and the other girl clearly didn't like that,' Karam told KFMB news. 'Then the threats started coming.'
Students posted videos of the fight on Facebook, where other teenagers made comments, many of them negative.
'It's a very ugly world sometimes on Facebook,' Karam said, 'I know my daughter's out there reading all of those comments. And I know she's heartbroken. And I know she's humiliated in front of her high school.'
This is the high school in Carlsbad, California where Baileigh was bullied and where the attack took place
This is the high school in Carlsbad, California where Baileigh was bullied and where the attack took place

  VIDEO  Teen disappears after video surfaces of brutal school fight 



28 comments:

Skeptical said...

I hope Baileigh is all right. If she suffered a head injury, she could be in terrible trouble. Natasha Richardson died after a seemingly innocuous head injury suffered while skiing. She could be lying somewhere unconscious.

Anonymous said...

The girl should have wrapped her ankle behind the attackers calf and merely pushed. The girl would have been flat on her back with little or no effort.

I was going to question the following because I was befuddled. I thought maybe a journalist lost their job with CNN and was picked up by ABC because of who they knew and who they paid to write their resume. Let me know what you think please:

Transcript for 4 Women Shot Dead at Oklahoma Apartment Complex

It was a crime scene they gave even the professionals. Costs -- area. -- tough right now for women shot to death.

Their bodies discovered by a friend who had come over to visit their tragic one life revolves. But they'll -- loss of one day at the same thing -- Stereos garbage until I heard. Lot of anger.

Randy Hernandez friends with the victims. Tightly clutching the hand of our own small boy. As word came that the sole survivor inside the apartment was a four year old child found unharmed amidst the carnage.

Wonder Grossman thought my boyfriend was much did you think he got Rob -- few weeks to get. And keep it even getting -- -- yet Bob would. Improved.

This area and increase the -- on the Tulsa city councilor -- -- is the area of 61 in Peoria is one of priority for the council not really feel with the gang task force that is standard here for this area. That they're -- -- find whoever did this short amount of time for dead. A child traumatized.

Maybe you've already covered this, but when I read it-http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/women-shot-dead-oklahoma-apartment-complex-18243327?tab=9482931&section=1206833-I had to wonder if my English skills and comprehension were failing, or if it was because a spy was doing the writing from another country, or merely because the schools have become boxing arenas.

If you/anyone have/has the time, I'd love someone's opinion.

rob said...

My hope for this beautiful girl is that she is just upset over all that happened and doesn't want to return to school and face what may happen there.
In my school days, you would tell a kid, go back in there, with your head held high, and in 5 minutes someone else will be the talk of the school. These days, your child may not make it home from school alive. I hope the parents, if she is found, take action, so that this girl feels safe in her enviroment, even if that means taking her out of school or moving to a new district.

Mainah said...

I wish I was better at articulating, in the written literal sense. I get emotionally shocked sometimes and lack words, but I'm rarely limited in emotional responses. Some truths freaks me out. I had little exposure to deception, violence and force, during my (earlier) 48 years, by design. I'm naive of a lot of things, yet competent enough to learn more. I can't do SCAN, I don't know how, exactly. However, mixing some of the principles of SCAN, in combination with other behavioral theories, sprinkling in logic courtesy of Occam's Razor...well, here goes...(please be respectful to the novice over here :)

In random order, I started with pieces of statements. Then read the whole thing for context. Then further honed in on oddities in the statements:

Mom "Knows" daughter is:
out there: (well, yes)
reading: those comments
heartbroken: (no additional info)
humiliated - but, only "in front of" "her high school"(?)

Mom "knows" some stuff, yup. Her priorities seem, expected, overall. She's not behind her daughter going missing, IMO. But she also is or not understanding the possibility her daughter has commit suicide over this and isn't "out there reading...", or that she is kidnapped, or joined a circus.

What is not told is telling too, when I look at it through that (SA) "expected" lens.

I don't like this: "The other girl just punched her over and over and over, while my daughter was saying "stop, stop." And the crowd was egging it on,' Karam's mother.

^Mom just minimized a horrific sounding beating with the word: "just". I think mom has punched kid(s) before, or let someone else, or some other reason someone would have for minimizing brutality like that.

"I just want to get her home. We just need her here. We need to know she's healthy and safe."

^Minimizing again with "just" and order shows priority. "safe" is last thing on moms list.

I probably would not like this mother much, as a friend, or anything. But I don't think knows where her daughter is.

Mainah said...

and another:

'It's a very ugly world sometimes on Facebook,' Karam said

Breakin this down:
"It's a very ugly world..."
(Yes, Mom. That is true, aesthetically and metaphorically speaking, I agree. How would you further qualify that?, asked nobody, yet Mom does qualify that sentiment).Let's look:

(when? asked nobody)
"...sometimes..." said Mom.
(minimizing the times when the world is very ugly)

(where? asked nobody)
"...on Facebook." said Mom
(puts a physical parameter around the ugly world)

^^Okay, Mom, what's with the qualifyers? Does Mom spend "sometimes" "on facebook".

Mainah said...

Karam's mother said she warned the school her daughter was being bullied. 2nd article:

^^Peter, What does 2nd article mean here? Anything relevant to this story? Or, just typing/posting flaw Or, will you be putting another article about Mom "warning the school"? Because I'm surprise that was not expanded on. When? Where? What? Who? There is nothing reliable that indicates the statement is truthful. It is so out of place, it seems, that is stands out. It looks "planted" there.

FYI: I did not watch the (horrific sounding) video.

Mainah said...

Oh, forget my last one (above) about 2nd article. I found a little blurb with it I missed and it makes more sense in the context now.

Karam's mother said she warned the school her daughter was being bullied. School officials spoke to each of the girls before the fight broke out. The attacker has not been named.

Does not look like just a random planted sentence, there ^ above, with the follow up sentences.

mommaklee said...

Anon @ 2:15pm, regarding transcript of video clip (about 4 women found dead in apartment). If you watch the video, it is clear the transcript is incomplete and poorly done. Likely it was a speech to text program and not a person at all.

Maggie said...

Mainah--Good points!

I noticed the Mom's use of the word "just" also--which, as you pointed out, was used to minimize.

"We just want her home. We just need her here."

It is odd that she uses the word "just". In my opinion, for some reason, I think the word "just" is often used to dishonestly "narrow" something down. What I mean is, in this context it makes me think the Mom wants other things in addition to "just want(ing) her home...(and) just need(ing) her here."
For some reason, this qualifier "just" also, in my opinion, indicates that the Mom knows that "getting her home and needing her here' are more complicated than she wishes to let on.
The statement made by the mother "It's a very ugly world sometimes on Facebook" also jumped out at me. Considering her daughter is missing and a video of her daughter being beaten up was put on Facebook, Mom should have strong outrage right now towards the entity of facebook--whether justified or not--this is what has allowed for her daughter's humiliation. The word "sometimes" is lukewarm, and weakens the mother's criticism of facebook. There should be no need to include facebook's positive qualities. the mother should be outraged right now.
Also the word "very" also weakens "ugly".
"I know my daughter's out there reading all those comments. And I know she's heartbroken. And I know she's humiliated in front of her high school."
"And" indicates missing information.
Also, has facebook not taken this video down?
How is the mother so certain that the daughter is hiding out somewhere looking at insulting comments on facebook (when facebook should have taken down the video and comments)? Why isn't the mother more concerned as to where her daughter is/what happened to her/is she OK?
"my daughter's out there"--"out there"--not "hiding out at a friend's or relatives" but "out there"???? This seems like an odd choice of words.

Anonymous said...

Why can't the un-named girl get arrested for assault? She should also be tried as an adult. The other kids that were present should also get arrested as accomplices and tried as adults. That way, in the future, when this sort of thing happens again, those around the "fight" know that they too can go to jail for participating in such a horrific act. We have no hope. We still act as if it is instilled in our dna, like a bunch of animals, gladiator style. How sad that we still cannot seem to progress forward.

Maggie said...

I wasn't able to watch the video but in the picture of the mother--it looks like she has a slight grin on her face.
Also, I am wondering what the mother said to school officials "right before" the fight broke out.
Just curious, because it definitely does not seem like whatever was said to the girls created harmony.
Not blaming the mother but something seems fishy. Sure maybe the school officials talking to the girls enflamed the situation/animosity between them but I also wonder what the mother said to them that after school officials talked to the girls then this terrible incident happens.

Maggie said...

Any onlooker who did not seek to get her help should be punished.

Mainah said...

Maggie said: For some reason, this qualifier "just" also, in my opinion, indicates that the Mom knows that "getting her home and needing her here' are more complicated than she wishes to let on.

^Oh, yes. I see that now too.

The mom has not yet directly vocalize the concept of/that her daughter's life has come (possibly) to an end perhaps, except, by use of the "and(s)". The missing information from the "and(s)" may be indicating she (just) doesn't want to go there. Which, again, makes me think she had nothing to do with the daughter missing.

I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down, Maggie :)

DawnSoCa said...

Very sad to see this happen at my old high school!! Carlsbad is a very nice beach community, I don't know why I find this so shocking, but it's sad.

Mainah said...

Maggie:

I almost comment on that smirky smile the mother is presenting. But, there are too many variables. I thought of myself as her, and asked myself why I might put that face on and came up lots of possibilities.

Her eyeballs and eye brows look kinda surprised, pissy and impatient. Could be because she doesn't like her picture taken, or she was asked a question she didn't like. The smirk smile could her attempt to soften that. Hard tellin', not knowin' what happened right before the photo was taken.

I pray the child is alright.

Maggie said...

Mainah--I guess it is hard to tell from the picture--looks like kind of a smirk but I see what you mean about her eyes the "pissy and impatient" look in them!--maybe she is just exhausted, etc.
I hope she is alright too!
What I wonder is from where did she go missing? Was it right after the fight? Or from her home? Hard to tell from the story when the video was posted but I would guess probably shortly after the incident.

Jen said...

Here is a link to video footage of the fight and the mother of the victim speaking about needing and wanting her daughter home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dBWwcfDsSo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The mother says that her daughter is missing along with a companion who she believes is traveling with her. She gives a much longer interview/statement than what's been quoted articles, including the info about another teen being missing with her daughter and that Amber Dubois mothers search team is assisting in the search. The video is sad to watch as the victim is clearly not 'fighting' but trying to shield herself while all of the bystanders can be heard cheering the violence on.

Tania Cadogan said...

What i don't understand is why all these kids don't unfriend and block those making the comments and threats after reporting it to facebook.

It is the same with any social media site, the tools are there to help prevent unwanted communications, i see it day in day out, why don't i stop xxx from contacting me or why don't i ban xxx?

I tell them the same thing , you have the tools to block unwanted messages from them and i walk them through it in simple steps, it also stops them seeing anything the ignored person says in the room.
What i see is they won't make use of the tools we give them, they don't want responsibility, they want us to do it for them. They also refuse to use ignore because they love the dramaand will happily discus all the details in the room about how xxx is constantly harrassing them or their favorite word stalking ( which said member isn't, they are just pressing the right buttons for a response.)
It is hard the bully someone online if the victim can't see anything you say to them, it is rather pointless.
Parents, should be monitoring their child online and where cyber bullying occurs report it and delete and block said person.
Instant messenger progs like msn and yahoo have a log chat option so they can see who their child is talking to and what about.

No one wants to take responsibility for simple commonsense actions and instead will blame everyone else when things turn bad.

Mainah said...

Thank you, Jen.

Anonymous said...

@hobnob
It doesn't sound as if it were an imaginary fight online. There are two people who come into close contact with each other daily at the school. The punches came from real hands and not a blinking whatever you call it online!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully, Baileigh ran away from embarrassment and/or because she is mad at her mother for calling the school and making matters worse.

Jen said...

No problem! I hope the mother is right and her daughter is with a companion who is supporting her during this mess. At least in that case she is probably physically safe, although I'm sure going thru something so humiliating, and it then becoming a national news story is mentally devastating to a teenager. Im worried for her and hope she returns home immediately so her parents can give her some perspective on the importance of this event in her life, and make sure she understands that although right now this seems huge...in a few years it will not be an issue that shapes or effects her life.

Anonymous said...

It's possible that the Mom is using just because she needs to minimize it to keep from thinking her daughter did something drastic and took her own life or to keep from thinking they would have gone so far as to kill her. I can promise that after a week of the type of strain the Mom has likely experienced, I would be pissy too.

Unknown said...

That is beyond bizarre. I work for a newspaper in Oklahoma and I haven't seen anything written like that before. I've seen lots of coverage of this murder - 4 women, 2 twins in their 20s and two older - and it's still unsolved.

Nanna Frances said...

Baileigh is safe and at home. Thank God!
http://www.10news.com/news/baileigh-karam-carlsbad-teen-who-disappeared-after-fight-video-goes-viral-found-safe01182013

Tania Cadogan said...

Anonymous said...
@hobnob
It doesn't sound as if it were an imaginary fight online. There are two people who come into close contact with each other daily at the school. The punches came from real hands and not a blinking whatever you call it online


My post was in referral to cyber bullying, something i see in it's various forms and depths.

I have had complaints that xx was sending an unwanted message they said hi without asking the permission of her master, you gotta love roleplay) right through to virtual relationships gone bosoms up to virtual marriages ending (forever is apparantly a week in virtual chat) which cause a room to take sides and fight, to room wars where one room is doing better than another so the losing side resort to threats, disruption etc until i ban them right through to genuine cases of stalking where i have advised them to call LE and talk to them regarding their options, caller blocking, privacy oprions on social media and contacting their landline provider for advice there as well.

I am well aware of what cyber bullying can do which is why i roll my eyes and despair when i read cases of such and wonder why they haven't done the obvious which is block and delete them and why their parents aren't monitoring them when online or checking their messages ( yahoo and msn you can save chat logs)

All it takes is a bit of commonsense, a bit of responsibility when adding a friend ( especially if you don't personally know them, people lie online and the person you think you are talking to may not be who they say they are (in chat i see the same person with mutiple names and of both sexes have relationships with other members and if all else fails themselves even to fighting with themselves over another name who is also them.I once had a member claim threats of rape were made to them, i asked who and checked ips and relevant info and it was all the same person. They were barred forever.)
Take everything you hear and see in social media with a pinch of salt, only add people you personally know or trust, don't give out personal info and check your privacy settings, public is always bad in any social media

Anonymous said...

@hobnob

I see your point. I've noticed them bullying the elderly by setting up fack Facebook pages and bombing their computer only to find out later that the relative they thought they were talking to didn't even have a computer.

That's modern intelligence today.

Anonymous said...

I would have run away from this home just for having parents too cruel or too lazy to spell my name correctly on my birth certificate. Just sayin'.