PUEBLO, CO — A month in and there are still no arrests in the homicide of Hailey Perkins. In late June, 13-year-old Hailey Perkins was found dead in her Pueblo West home.
The cause of death released by the Pueblo County Coroner Tuesday afternoon has been ruled as a gunshot wound to the head, the case is being investigated as a homicide.
News5 spoke with the family for the first time as they are seeking answers in the murder of their little girl. Tanya Perkins spoke about her daughter Hailey's dreams and aspirations.
"She was headstrong from day one and she knew what she wanted to do and there was nobody, or nothing going to stop her," said Perkins.
According to her family, Hailey had dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist.
Tanya remembers the day of her daughter's death vividly.
“I got the call Monday from her dad at 10 am at work and his words to me on the phone were ‘Hailey is dead.’ So in that instance, everything in my world changed," said Perkins.
Initially, the rumors of a drug-related death began to spread on social media. Tanya feared the same, “I assumed somebody had given her something and like everybody else had overdosed."
However, the coroner quickly ruled Hailey's death a homicide. Tanya was not able to see her daughter's body for about six hours and did not step into her daughter's room for nearly a month after the murder.
“I could not go in there. To see the carpet completely removed from the pad? To see where they took areas of the walls out? You know, you shouldn’t have to go into your 13-year-old daughter's murder scene, to see that," explained the mother.
The family is not stopping while searching for answers. The family believes that this act of violence was not random and is urging anyone with information to come forward.
Tanya still relives that day tragically, “holding her little cold face in the body bag. That’s what I get to relive every day for the rest of my life because they were selfish enough to take her away from me? I'm not going to stand quiet long. I won’t.”
Hailey's mom is urging anyone with information to come forward and not stay quiet. She wants people to remember Hailey for who she was, “just remember how nice she was, her smile, how she would light up a room when she would come in. If anybody knows anything, talk to somebody. Help us bring Hailey to justice. She deserves justice. She didn’t deserve this.”
If you have any information that might help this ongoing homicide investigation, you can contact the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, or remain anonymous by contacting crime stoppers at 719-542-STOP.
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