Kathy Taft fights for her life following assault

A well-respected leader in education on the state and local level continues to fight for her life after a brutal attack over the weekend.

Kathy Taft of Greenville has been hospitalized since Saturday when she was beaten inside a home in Raleigh.

She's the longest serving member currently on the State Board of Education. Relatives and neighbors say Taft's sister found her inside the home after she missed a breakfast date.

Taft's relatives say John Geil owns the house where it happened.

Friends of Taft say she and Geil are in a relationship and Geil was in Florida when the incident occurred.

Geil has since flow back from Florida to Raleigh and is with Taft and her family.

Details involving the assault on Kathy Taft have been slow, at best.

While police are keeping quiet as they investigate what happened to Kathy Taft, friends believe someone broke into the home of her boyfriend and attacked her.

Police have not said whether the crime is random, but have increased patrols in the area as a precaution.

Friends of Kathy say she underwent brain surgery Saturday and remains in critical condition.

A long-time friend that graduated high school with Kathy says it's not unusual for her to stay at Geil's home during school board meetings in Raleigh.

What isn't settling for friends of Kathy is why this would happen to someone like her.

“First, it’s just shock; you just think this really can’t be true. Then you’re distressed. This is terrible. You just can’t get your mind off of it. I’ve known Kathy for a long time; I know she’s a true educator and is committed to education,” said Greenville Mayor Patricia Dunn.

Taft's record of community service, especially in the area of public education, is practically untarnished.

"She has been a life-long person dedicated to education, to improving education opportunities for students in North Carolina and particularly in eastern North Carolina," said Vanessa Jeter, Director of Communications for the Dept. of Public Instruction.

For a 3rd straight day, the entire street where the crime happened is blocked off.

Authorities are telling neighbors and media very little about what happened and who they might be looking for.

Governor Perdue is also a close friend of Taft's and spent time visiting the family in the hospital today.

Father Bob Hudak of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville is Taft's Pastor and close friend. He plans on making a second trip to Wake-Med in Raleigh tomorrow.

The hospital is refusing to release information on Taft's condition so we can only hope he will bring good news.

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