Teen Attacked Outside Library SURVIVES: The Incredible Case Of Queena Phu
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Queena Phu, 18, was attacked at a library in Bloomingdale, Florida, on April 24, 2008, just two days after her birthday.
- ❖She was stabbed, strangled, and sexually assaulted, suffering broken bones, vision loss, and a severe traumatic brain injury.
- ❖Her attacker, Kendrick Morris, 16, was identified by fingerprints on the makeshift weapon (a filed-down plastic utensil) and surveillance footage.
- ❖Morris was also linked via DNA to an unsolved sexual assault of a 62-year-old daycare worker 10 months prior.
- ❖Doctors initially believed Queena would remain in a vegetative state, but her mother and sister refused to accept this prognosis.
- ❖Through years of intensive physical, occupational, speech, and aqua therapy, Queena has regained the ability to stand, walk with assistance, make vocalizations, and communicate through facial expressions.
- ❖Years after the attack, a high school student named Derek asked Queena to his prom, an event made special by extensive community donations and support, allowing her to wear her original purple prom dress.
- ❖Queena's care costs approximately $70,000 annually, with only a small percentage covered by insurance, prompting her family to seek public support through joinquina.com.
Insights
1The Brutal Attack and Dire Prognosis
Queena Phu, an 18-year-old, was attacked at the Bloomingdale Regional Library while returning books. She was stabbed, strangled, sexually assaulted, and left for dead in a ditch near an ant hill. Her injuries included a broken jaw and nose, swollen eyes, multiple stab wounds, hundreds of ant bites, and severe brain swelling, leading to a medically induced coma. Doctors initially gave her slim chances of survival and predicted a permanent vegetative state.
Queena's friend Rachel was on the phone with her and heard the attack. Police found Queena's car running, her phone broken, blood drops, and her body in a ditch. Medical teams worked overnight to save her life, but her condition was critical, requiring a medically induced coma due to brain swelling.
2Identification and Capture of Kendrick Morris
The attacker, 16-year-old Kendrick Morris, was identified through a tip from a high school student who saw him at the library. Fingerprints on a makeshift weapon (a filed-down plastic Wendy's utensil) and at the scene confirmed his involvement. Morris was also linked via DNA to a prior unsolved sexual assault of a daycare worker.
A Bloomingdale High School student placed Kendrick Morris at the library around PM. Another witness placed him there at PM. Fingerprints on the plastic utensil and at the crime scene matched Morris. Surveillance footage showed him calmly eating Happy Meals and browsing video games after the attack. His DNA matched the 2007 daycare worker assault.
3Family's Unwavering Hope and Refusal to Give Up
Despite doctors' grim predictions that Queena would spend her life in a vegetative state, her mother, Vanna, and sister, Anna, refused to accept this outcome. They believed Queena's mind was still alive and dedicated themselves to her recovery, transferring her to a brain injury rehab center.
Nurses dismissed Anna's observation of Queena smiling as a reflex, but Anna believed her sister could hear her. When workers suggested a facility for a vegetative state, Anna and Vanna refused, opting for a brain injury rehab center in Sarasota. Vanna has since devoted over a decade to Queena's around-the-clock care.
4Remarkable Recovery and Community Support
Through intensive and diverse therapies (physical, occupational, speech, aqua), Queena has made significant progress, regaining some physical control and communication abilities. Her journey is bolstered by immense community support, exemplified by a heartwarming prom experience years after the attack.
Queena can now stand, walk with assistance, and has more control over head movements. She makes attempts at vocalizing and communicates through laughter and facial expressions. A student named Derek took her to prom, with the community donating shoes, accessories, hair/makeup services, and a Harley-Davidson club providing a motorcade escort.
Lessons
- Support Queena Phu's ongoing care by visiting joinquina.com to make donations or purchase her mother's memoir, 'The Life She Once Knew'.
- Recognize the importance of community and personal dedication in supporting victims of violent crime, as demonstrated by Queena's family and community.
- Consider implementing personal safety precautions, such as calling a friend while walking alone at night, as Queena did, and sharing emergency contacts.
Notable Moments
Queena's mother, Vanna, survived a perilous refugee boat journey from Vietnam with a 1% chance of survival, a story that instilled a deep sense of strength and willpower in Queena.
This backstory provides crucial context for the family's resilience and Queena's own incredible fight for survival, highlighting a generational legacy of overcoming extreme adversity.
Years after the attack, Queena attended her prom with a student named Derek, an event made possible by extensive community donations and volunteers who helped her wear her original purple prom dress.
This moment symbolizes a profound reclamation of a lost teenage milestone and showcases the incredible power of community kindness and the human spirit to bring joy and 'normalcy' back into a life profoundly impacted by tragedy.
Queena's sister, Anna, was asked to assist nurses in performing a rape kit on her unconscious sister, a deeply traumatic experience.
This highlights the secondary trauma experienced by family members of victims and raises questions about hospital protocols during such sensitive procedures.
Quotes
"She was ecstatic. I mean, she was just beaming for even days to follow. And um as you can see inside now, she's just lit up. She's really, really excited."
"I always love seeing people that you know who have gone through such tragedies but find I I would say the rainbow in the storm. You know they find the bright side out of it."
"For a while there, she was being referred to as the Bloomingdale Library Victim. But over the years, that title has rightfully changed, the Bloomingdale Library Survivor. And she is truly the definition of a survivor."
Q&A
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