Close to 200 people gather at vigil for baby Shaylyn
SPENCER, Ind. (WISH) — A town in grief gathered hand-in-hand to pay their respects to a young girl’s life suddenly cut short.
About 200 people met at Cooper Park in Spencer Friday night. They were holding a vigil in honor of Shaylyn Ammerman, the one-year-old girl who went missing Wednesday, only to be found dead Thursday night.
Vigil organizer Sharon West with Family of God Church of Spencer said the vigil was initially going to be a prayer for Shaylyn’s safe return home. That all changed Thursday night, turning it into a vigil meant for people to find comfort and support during this tough time.
“It’s over and over again the same question, why does bad things happen to precious people?” a pastor said to the emotional crowd.
“It just feels like a dream right now that I’ll wake up and she’s gonna be there,” said Tamera Morgan, Shaylyn’s grandmother.
The people who gathered at the vigil were connected by their faith but also shared the same pain.
“Me having a 13-month-old child, it’s very hard to accept (Shaylyn’s death),” said parent Dara Woods as she fought back tears.
She like many in the crowd didn’t even know Shaylyn, the young girl who disappeared from from her father’s home earlier in the week, the innocent child that police say was killed then dropped off near a creek.
The vigil gave grieving families a chance to lean on each other and find support in a higher power. Shaylyn’s father, Justin Ammerman, was thankful so many attended but it’s not the ending he wanted.
“I wish I could turn back time and just make sure it never happened,” he said.
“You can’t go back 72 hours, you can’t go back four days, you can’t back the clock up. It happened,” the pastor said at the park.
Shaylyn’s death is a reality that’s difficult for the crowd to accept, but it’s one they will endure together.
“God needed another angel and he got a good one, couldn’t get a better angel than her,” said Morgan.