It is with deep sorrow and regret that I must announce the passing of 10-year-old Jayci Yaeger. According to family members, Jayci died late last night, just one day after a visit from her father.
"She was hanging on for daddy, and she got her daddy, and then she let go," Jayci's uncle, Ed Yaeger, said on The Early Show Friday.
Jayci's father, Jason Yaeger, is housed at the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota, where he is serving out the final year of a 5½-year sentence for a methamphetamine conviction. Prison officials, who claimed the case did not meet the criteria of the prison's extraordinary circumstances policy, recently denied Jason's request for an early release to a halfway house. As a result, Jason asked President George W. Bush for clemency, however the White House never issued an official response to the request. The entire ordeal has left a bad taste in the mouth of Jayci's family, however they are grateful she is no longer suffering.
"We're happy that it was peaceful and that she is now no longer in pain, and her suffering is over," Ed told Kolnkgin.com. "We really wish Jason could have been there by her side to be with her in her last moments, but we're going to continue to fight and have Jason there for the funeral."
Federal prison officials have yet to comment on whether Jason will be allowed to attend his daughter's funeral. It remains unclear if a recent statement released by the prison was issued before or after Jayci's death. The statement read in part:
"The institution has taken unusual steps to be accommodating during this difficult time...After careful review of the security needs of the community and the offender, the warden determined that a furlough was not a viable option."
The visit Jason had with Jayci earlier this week came after federal authorities received a deluge of emails, letters, and phone calls from around the globe.
The campaign for Jason's early release is over, however you can still help by contacting the prison and asking them to allow Jason to attend his daughter's funeral. Please contact Linda Asher, Yankton FPC public relations officer, at 605-665-3262.
You can also help the Yaeger family with medical expenses, by sending a donation to: Jayci Yaeger Fund, c/o Wells Fargo, 1248 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE 68508.
