7-11 worker, 26, dies after 'manager sat on top of her and cut off air supply'
Jessica McLaughlin, 26, died Wednesday morning, days after her family say she was violently assaulted by her boss in a convenience store in Hollywood, California.
She suffered traumatic brain injuries after allegedly being set upon by her boss when they got into a heated argument at the end of a shift, her family told KTLA.
They said the manager, who has not been named, threw a bottle at McLaughlin, pinned her to the ground then, 'sat on top of her, and didn't let her breathe.'
In a GoFundMe set up by her brother, her family claimed that when her coworkers tried to step in and stop it, they were also attacked by the manager.
'When she finally got free, she collapsed. She wasn't breathing,' the fundraiser read.
The manager then 'ran to the back room to try and delete the security footage', McLaughlin's family claimed, before fleeing the scene on her bike.
The Los Angeles Police Department said they have identified the suspect, but have yet to make an arrest as of Thursday. The manager had already fled by the time they arrived at the scene.
The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the investigation.
McLaughlin suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen during the ordea, and was hospitalized for several days before she passed away Wednesday.
Her heartbroken family wrote in their fundraiser that they stayed by her side throughout her time in hospital, 'praying for some kind of miracle.'
'But the damage from the lack of oxygen was too much. Her brain had stopped functioning,' they wrote.
On Wednesday they made the heart wrenching decision to switch off her life support machine.
'After getting second opinions and doing everything we could, we have to make the impossible decision to let her go,' the family explained.
Her father Clancey told KTLA that his daughter was bullied while working at the 7-11, specifically by the manager who is accused of causing her death.
A 7-11 spokesperson told the outlet that the company is fully cooperating with the police investigation, and said the suspect was fired.
'Our hearts are with those impacted during this difficult time,' the company said in a statement.
McLaughlin's family described her as someone who, 'had a way of making people feel safe, accepted, and loved'.
'You could come to her with anything and know you wouldn't be judged,' their statement read.
'She was the kind of person who rooted for the underdog, who lifted people up when they were down, and who truly saw the good in everyone.
'She had such a beautiful soul and deserved so much better than the way her life was taken from her.'
In an update on Wednesday after McLaughlin's family decided to take her off life support, her brother Sean wrote that her family's 'hearts are shattered'.
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