Student sends FOX6 fake photo of injury from fight she says Racine school staff member facilitated



RACINE -- FOX6 told you about a Racine middle school student who says a staff member encouraged her and another girl to fight. However, one of the photos the student provided of her injuries was fake.

Summer Matson says she had several injuries following a physical altercation with another student at McKinley Middle School on November 30th.

McKinley Middle School



She shared the pictures of her injuries with FOX6; one shows a clump of hair she says was pulled out during the fight, another of a bruise on her chin and a third of a broken and bloody nail.

Photos given to FOX6 News by student in fight



FOX6 viewers were quick to point out, after our story aired Friday night, the exact same picture of bloody nail shows up at the bottom of an online article published in 2015.





"I didn't have the original photo so I went online and found a photo that looked similar," said Summer.

Summer Matson



We followed up with Summer and her father, Kenneth Holeton, to set the record straight. They say Summer had accidentally deleted the evidence of the finger injury.

"So there was kind of pressure to get the picture," said Kenneth Holeton.

Summer shared with us the real photo that she was able to track down from friends who had it on their phones.

Original photo of Summer Matson's injuries



"This calls into question your whole story," said FOX6's Madeline Anderson. "Did you lie about other things?"

"Absolutely not. There is no lie about it," Summer responded.

Despite the bogus picture, the family still stands by their original statements. They say a school staff member, who Summer considered a mentor, told the two bickering 14-year-olds to "fight it out."

A spokesperson with the Racine Unified School District also confirmed the incident in a statement Friday.

McKinley Middle School, Racine


"The District acknowledges and regrets the poor choice of words... The intent of the communication was that the two students talk through and resolve their problem..."


A tough lesson in trust that has now come full circle.

"I apologize because I know it was false information. I know what I did was a mistake," Summer said.

A district spokesperson told FOX6 in a follow-up conversation, that administrators have never been shown any of the photos of the injuries Summer says she suffered.