2008 Woodie Awards
Daughter's death inspires student to pursue life as firefighter
Father is serving a 40-year prison sentence for the infant's death.
By Jared Solis
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Features
Originally published: 11/1/07 at 3:22 PM CSTLast update: 11/1/07 at 5:59 PM CST
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It used to be the sound of her daughter's name or the sight of a parent hitting a child in public that would bring her to tears.
Now, as a fire science major at this school studying to become a firefighter, Meagan Oliver can run into fiery buildings with the best of them but admits she still has her bad days when she breaks down.
"It's taken me a long time to actually do it because I've only started talking about my little girl, about the way she passed away. I've barely started talking about it this past year," Oliver said.
Kayleigh was only 7 months and 25 days old when fire company Ladder 21 was called to 1111 Keats on the South Side to resuscitate her.
They did what they could, but she was gone.
"I just know that there was blunt trauma to the head," Oliver said. "She just looked like a water baby. Her head was so full of all the blood."
Oliver says she does not remember much about what happened that day, Aug. 9, 2002.
She didn't really want to know, she said.
She just knew that Kayleigh was gone.
"I was in denial about everything for a long time. I didn't speak to my family. They knew Kayleigh's father did it, but I was in denial that he did it," Oliver said.
"It took me four years to get over it and to actually realize that he killed her."
Kayleigh's father, Jason Hernandez, is now in prison serving a 40-year sentence for the infant's death.
"He never confessed that he did it," Oliver said. "He said that he fell with her and that he just fell on top of her. That was his story."
Their story began in Hondo where they grew up together.
"Kayleigh's father was my high school sweetheart ... I had liked him since we were in the fifth grade," Oliver said.
"We were together for such a long time, just to see this happening and for it to happen to you, it kind of puts you in denial, like about everything."
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