Beaten Teen Set to Go Home

Just over a month ago, Josie Lou Ratley was trapped in a coma and family members wondered if she would ever wake up.

Now, they are getting ready to welcome the 15-year-old home.

Ratley, who was nearly beaten to death by a Deerfield Beach teen at her school, is expected to be released from a local rehabilitation center in a matter of days, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

In April, she was released from Broward General Medical Center and has spent the past few weeks in intense occupational, speech and physical therapy trying to regain control of her body functions. Doctors said Ratley suffered severe brain damage as a result of an attack at the hands and feet of Wayne Treacy.

On March 17, Treacy assaulted Ratley as she waited at her bus stop at Deerfield beach elementary School. Treacy, a high school student, knocked the girl to the ground and then stomped on her head and slammed it into the concrete sidewalk.

Treacy now faces first-degree attempted murder charges. Text messages recently released revealed Treacy, 15, nearly attacked the wrong girl, when he was targeting Ratley.

Attorneys for Ratley's family said she will still receive therapy and treatment but she has progressed enough where doctors feel comfortable with letting her go home to her family.

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