PLYMOUTH, Ind. – It’s a sad day for the Plymouth community, as they mourn the loss of 11 month -old Mercedes Lain, who was found dead Wednesday.

People at the vigil said it was a tragedy that could have been avoided.

“That’s heart gripping, I don’t care what walk of life you’re from. That is just heartbreaking. No child deserves to be treated like this, none,” said Jacquelyn Harpole, a Plymouth resident.

During the vigil, her grandmother, Angie Owens spoke to the crowd thanking them for their support. A prayer was said in Mercedes honor, and poems were shared by community members.

If you’ll remember a silver alert was declared for Justin Miller and Mercedes on Sunday. The little girl’s disappearance shocked the community as many were hoping for her safe return. But, the search ended on Wednesday after Miller led detectives to her body in a wooded area in Starke County, A tragic outcome, that nobody could’ve imagined.

On Saturday, mourners gathered at Centennial Park for a candle lighting vigil to remember Mercedes and seek justice for a life that was taken too soon. Her grandmother thanking the community for the all the support. But, also speaking out that more should have been done to keep the little girl safe.

“CPS would’ve done their job, just whenever a few weeks ago, a month ago, we wouldn’t be having this vigil right now. We would have had her, we would have had her home safe. We’ve done everything in our power to try and get her away,” Owens said.

Owens said they’ve removed the stuffed animals at the memorial site, and will some of them to children charities. You can donate to Knox United Methodist Church in honor of Mercedes, you can also donate on their GoFundMe page here.

Click here to read past stories on Mercedes Lain