For the second time since October, a Santa Monica High School student has died of an unknown illness.
A Santa Monica-Malibu School District statement said she was 18-year-old Kelly Cano, whose mother, Sandra, is a school nurse at Santa Monica High. The victim’s mother quoted doctors as saying the deadly condition is not believed to have been Norovirus.
Many of the girl’s schoolmates expressed shock on social media and some got together for an impromptu memorial Sunday night, the Santa Monica Observer reported.
Kelly’s death was the second since Oct. 25, 2016, when 10th grader Vanai Jelks died after falling ill following a cheerleading tournament. The cause of death has not been determined.
Kelly Cano’s death follows on the closing of John Adams Middle School Friday Feb. 3 due to an outbreak of a mysterious illness suspected of having been norovirus. The outbreak occurred during a seventh-grade trip to Yosemite Valley. The school was cleaned over the weekend and reopened a week ago Monday.
—City News Service