Hours after the body of a 7-year-old girl was found, her Cherokee County neighbors and friends held a candlelight vigil Monday night in her honor at the same playground where she was last seen.
The body of Jorelys Rivera was found Monday afternoon in a metal trash bin, the GBI said. Jorelys, who had been missing since Friday, had been severely beaten and sexually assaulted, according to Vernon Keenan, director of the GBI.
Investigators believe Jorelys was killed at the Canton apartment complex where she lived, Keenan said. But so far, police do not have any suspects or anyone in custody, he said.
"The FBI and the GBI will now focus on a murder investigation," Keenan said.
At the River Ridge apartments, neighbors were shocked and saddened about the fate of the girl, a friendly child often seen playing outside with other children. The playground where Jorelys often played is across the street from the apartment where she lived. And Monday night, it was at the playground where the community mourned the girl.
On the fourth day of the search for Jorelys, a 50-member team made up of GBI agents, Georgia State Patrol troopers, Department of Natural Resources rangers and other state officers specially trained in child abductions was brought in Monday to assist local police and firefighters. Police said they believed they were working a child abduction case.
Searchers combed the apartment complex, checking every vehicle and some apartments for any clues to the girl's whereabouts. The parking lot of a nearby movie theater served as the command center for search efforts, which included a state patrol helicopter Monday.
But just hours after state and national search crews began to look for the girl, the massive effort ended with Keenan's announcement. The girl's body was found around 12:30 p.m., he said.
Jorelys, who turned 7 on Aug. 20, disappeared around 5 p.m. Friday while she took a break from playing at the River Ridge complex on River Ridge Drive, police said. She reportedly told other children at the playground that she was going inside to get drinks, but never returned.
The girl's mother was inside while the child played outside, but a teenager was supposed to have been watching Jorelys, Lt. Jeff Hall with the Canton police department said Monday. The girl's two younger siblings were taken from their mother and placed in protective custody because of a lack of supervision, Det. Candy Worthy with Canton police said Sunday morning.
Canton police launched a search for the girl late Friday, releasing pictures and a description of the Canton Elementary School first-grader. Police officers knocked on doors at the complex and interviewed registered sex offenders in the area Saturday, Worthy said.
"Everybody came together in the cold, at all hours of the night to look for her," David Lott, a resident of the complex, told the AJC Monday night.
The girl's family cooperated with the investigation, police have said. Her mother, who police have said is not a suspect, was told the horrific news before Keenan's announcement to reporters.
Maria Rodriguez, a friend and co-worker of the girl's mother, said news of the girl's death was a devastating blow after having the other two children removed from the home. Rodriguez said there are always children and adults at the park.
"There's no way that someone didn't see anything," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she and Joselinne Rivera, the girl's mother, worked the overnight shift at the Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant, also in Canton. Rodriguez said Monday evening she had not spoken with the girl's mother since the body was found.
Police had been searching the apartment complex throughout the weekend, but the trash bin where the body was found was not searched until Monday due to the amount of items it contained, Keenan said. The search area was about a 1-mile radius from the complex and included another nearby complex, police said.
Investigators moved the compacted trash bin across Reinhardt Parkway and to an open area, where they removed the contents and found the girl's body. Keenan declined to say the proximity of the trash bin to the location where Jorelys was last seen. But residents in the complex pointed out the trash bin, located a short walk from the playground.
Calling it a "very, very horrendous crime," Keenan declined to discuss details regarding how or where the girl died. The body was taken to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy, which was being conducted Monday night, John Bankhead, GBI spokesman, told the AJC. The findings are expected to be released at a Tuesday morning news conference.
Monday afternoon, investigators remained at the apartment complex, which was the focus of the search from the beginning, Keenan said.
No one was on the playground at the apartment complex Monday afternoon, but neighbors gathered outside after learning the girl's fate.
"I'm scared to death to walk into my apartment right now," Mary Johnston told AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB. "I'm packing my stuff tonight. I'm moving."
Johnston's 11-year-old son was playing with Jorelys on Friday and she said she helped search for the girl. Now, she fears for her family's safety.
Skylar Watkins and her 2-year-old daughter, Cheyann, brought a bouquet of flowers to the playground, placing it on the ground near the slide.
"That's the playground I bring her to," Watkins said while holding the toddler. "Knowing that whoever did it is still on the loose is really scary."
Daniel McFarland said he was in the complex Friday evening around 7 p.m. visiting his mother. By then, family members and neighbors were already looking for the girl, he said.
"It's very, very disturbing," McFarland said.
McFarland told police he saw a white Honda running near the playground Friday evening for about an hour, but no one was inside. He isn't sure if the vehicle is a clue, but wanted to make sure he informed police, he said.
Law enforcement officials stressed the need for more information in the case, asking for anyone with any information to report it to police. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call 770-721-7852.
"What we need is help from the public," Canton police Chief Jeff Lance said.
A $5,000 reward is being offered by the GBI for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person responsible for the crime.
A Facebook page called "Light Up Canton for Jorelys" was created Monday and encouraged those in the community to leave porch lights on to honor the slain girl.
"Let's show this family that we care, and let's show this killer that we are all united until he is hunted down and brought to justice," the Facebook page stated.
Monday night, neighbors and friends held candles and brought flowers and stuffed animals to the playground, creating a makeshift memorial.
As the collection of flowers and candles continued to grow at the playground late Monday, neighbors told the AJC they were worried about a suspect in the girl's death being on the loose.
"You don't know if it's your neighbor. You don't know if it's someone you say ‘hey' to every day on your way to work," Lindsey Hale, who lives next door to the Riveras, told the AJC. "You can't trust anyone."
Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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