Jaylah Veal, 15, was found shot to death over the weekend on West Bartell Drive after being missing since March.
It's a story ABC13 first brought you on Sunday, when police confirmed she was caught in the middle of a shootout and investigators didn't believe she was the intended target.
The family Veal says she went missing in March from CPS custody. For weeks, they worried sick about her whereabouts, attempting to keep tabs on her through her social media. That's until homicide investigators called them on Monday.
"Then the homicide detectives came and told me my baby had gotten shot," Oreena Rivera-Veal said.
Veal says Jaylah was the little girl who made her a mom. She adopted her at birth.
"I'm hurt. I'm very hurt," Rivera-Veal said.
It's a painful moment no parent should ever experience.
Rivera-Veal says that because of behavioral issues, they turned to CPS for help with their daughter two years ago, and she was sent to a facility.
The family says Jaylah was in and out of facilities, but their issues arose when she was placed in a facility in Houston.
In March, the family says they were told Jaylah kicked down a door at the facility and ran away. No one had heard from her since.
Now that she wound up dead, the family says they feel failed by CPS.
"The state of Texas has to do better," Rivera Veal said.
As the Veal family works to lay Jaylah to rest, the memories and pain linger as they long for one more hug.
"We didn't get a chance to see her go to prom or to graduate from high school. She was so bright," Rivera-Veal said.
ABC13 reached out to CPS about this case to find out more about the teen's disappearance, while the family says she was in their custody. Tonight, CPS tells Eyewitness News they had been making non-stop, repeated attempts to locate Jaylah.
CPS representatives say they are currently working with police to investigate her death. CPS says the family did have a history with CPS, but would not say anything else, stating other case details are confidential.
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