It was a Friday afternoon like any other. School was out, the weekend was ahead, and 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera was playing outside with friends at the River Ridge apartment complex in Canton where she lived with her mother. She told her friends she was thirsty and she headed inside for a drink.
It was the last time anybody saw the child, and they looked for three days. Over the weekend police, investigators, members of the community -- scores of people bearing fliers and pictures of the Canton Elementary School first-grader with a big smile and bright eyes -- scoured the terrain a mile in every direction from where she was last seen.
Monday morning, after 2 1/2 days of searching, a helicopter joined the hunt. Shortly after noon Monday investigators decided to empty a metal trash bin packed so tight it could not be searched. When they did, they found the child's body. She had been beaten and sexually abused, GBI Director Vernon Keenan said.
An autopsy was scheduled Monday night to determine the cause of Jorelys' death, with the results expected to be released at a Tuesday morning new conference.
Keenan described the girl's death as a "very, very horrendous crime." He declined to discuss details of the investigation or say how close the trash bin she was found in was to the place she was last seen. But he did say investigators believe Jorelys was killed at the apartment complex where she lived.
There were no suspects, and nobody in custody. Said Keenan: "The FBI and the GBI will now focus on a murder investigation."
The community responded Monday with grief, fear and disbelief.
Hours after Jorelys' body 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.
A Facebook page called "Light Up Canton for Jorelys" also was created Monday and encouraged people in the community to leave porch lights on to honor the slain girl.
"Let's show this family that we care," the Facebook page states, "and let's show this killer that we are all united until he is hunted down and brought to justice."
Maria Rodriguez, a friend who works with Jorelys' mother, Joselinne Rivera, said Monday evening that the girl's death was a devastating blow to the family and community. She said children and adults are always playing in the park where Jorelys was last seen, and she believes there must be a witness who has yet to come forward who could lead investigators to the killer or killers.
"There's no way that someone didn't see anything," Rodriguez said.
No one was on the playground at the apartment complex Monday afternoon, but neighbors gathered outside after learning the girl's fate. They came to grieve Jorelys' death and to express fear that this could happen again. Skylar Watkins and her 2-year-old daughter, Cheyann, brought a bouquet of flowers to the playground as a memorial, 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."
Resident Mary Johnston told AM 750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB: "I'm scared to death to walk into my apartment right now." Johnston's 11-year-old son was playing with Jorelys on Friday and said she helped search for the girl. Now Johnston fears for her family's safety. "I'm packing my stuff tonight," she said. "I'm moving."
Daniel McFarland said he was in the complex about 7 Friday evening visiting his mother. By then, family members and neighbors were already looking for the girl, he said. He told police he saw a white Honda running near the playground Friday evening for about an hour, but no one was inside.
He said Monday that he isn't sure whether the vehicle is a clue, but he wanted to make sure he informed police. "It's very, very disturbing," he said.
News of the killing and the grief that followed spread beyond the apartment complex. The story generated much of the talk Monday at the Fork and Tavern on Main Street in Canton.
“It brought us to tears, I had to excuse myself I was so upset,” said Amanda Smith, who said she learned about Jorelys’ death while serving lunchtime customers. “Crimes don’t happen in Canton a lot, and this really hits home. It upsets all of us.”
Lt. Jeff Hall of the Canton Police Department said Jorelys' mother was inside while the child played outside, but a teenager was supposed to have been watching the girl. Investigators said the Rivera family has cooperated with police. Law enforcement has asked anyone with any information to report it to police. The GBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction.
"What we need," Canton Police Chief Jeff Lance said, "is help from the public."
Staff writer Patrick Fox contributed to this article.
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