Vigil Canceled For Teen Girl Who Jumped To Her Death

DANBURY, CT — A memorial vigil for a Danbury teen who died on Saturday will not be held this weekend, upon the recommendation of mental health experts.

Maria Garcia, a friend of Hailey Nailor who died after jumping from the fifth floor of the Danbury Fair mall Saturday, was organizing a vigil at the same mall for this Saturday, at the time of her friend's death.

In her social media post, Garcia wrote, Hailey "was a great friend to me and always had my back through everything as well to many others." She added that Hailey was "beautiful, intelligent, caring, loving girl..."

But experts who convened on a conference call Monday feared a “contagion effect,” in which a group memorial like the one proposed by Garcia could spur someone to engage in harmful behavior.

Hailey has previously been treated at local hospitals for extended periods of time. She would often make progress and then suffer setbacks and she was recently hospitalized briefly on Friday, her father said. The elder Nailor said his daughter dealt with serious mental health issues including severe anxiety and depression.

Photo of Hailey Nalor via Danbury PD from a 2017 missing person alert.