Battered Girl X Laughs, Cries Again

The 9-year-old known as Girl X laughed, cried and smiled for the first time since she was brutally attacked in a public housing complex two months ago, her doctor said Monday.

The girl has been hospitalized ever since she was found unconscious in a filthy stairwell at the Cabrini-Green housing project. She had been raped, choked and poisoned with a gasoline-like substance.

No one has been arrested.

“It is moving beyond words for all of us working with Girl X’s rehabilitation team to see her laugh, smile and cry,” said Dr. Gayle Spill, who is overseeing the girl’s care at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital.

However, she still can’t speak, and communicates by shaking her head.