Six months later, mother of girl shot in the head astounded she's doing so well, dismayed no one's in custody



RACINE (WITI) -- It has been six months since four-year-old Ja'Nyela Marsh-Highshaw was shot in the head while sitting in an SUV parked in Racine. The little girl survived -- but no one has been taken into custody in connection with this shooting. Police say not only do they have no suspects -- they have no leads.

"After the shots stopped I just...I looked up and I just went ballistic," a witness said shortly after the shooting.



It was November 5th, 2014. Four-year-old Ja'Nyela was shot in the head as she sat in an SUV parked near 18th and Villa in Racine.

Not only did Ja'Nyela survive -- but 17 days later, she woke up from a medically-induced coma at Children's Hospital. She was able to go home after 49 days of treatment.

Today, the little girl continues to defy all odds.

"It just makes my heart smile that she can just go and be herself with no restraints," Ja'Nyela's mother, Janikka Marsh said.

Janikka says she can still barely believe how far they've come in just six months.

"She`s able to do things that they didn`t think she`d be able to do," Janikka Marsh said.



Of course, there are still trying times as well. They are reminders that things are different for a very violent and unresolved reason.

"When I have those moments where I just feel like I can`t take it or she may say something that`ll reflect to me the incident I`ll just pray about it. I still try to show her no signs of weakness and be her strength," Janikka Marsh said.

Ja'Nyela continues to show her strength every day. She doesn't seem to have missed a beat at school and she still has her hyper personality. There is one change, though.





"She wants to be doctor. She says she is going to help other kids the same way that they helped her," Janikka Marsh said.

Ja'Nyela and her family could be back Children's Hospital in the next couple of weeks. She has another surgery scheduled. She's still missing part of her skull. That's why she wears a helmet. Doctors are going to be reconstructing part of her skull that's missing.

If you have any information that could help police in this case, you're asked to give them a call.