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Memento mori, or postmortem pictures, has been a popular way to honor and remember the dead since the mid-1800s.
Photos of children were popular, partly because of the high mortality rate at the time.
In an evolution of the genre, Sunny Jo Photography offers images superimposed with dead loved ones in an angelic filter, which he calls "one more time."
He has created thousands of these kinds of images to help loved ones remember those they lost but he is angry and embarrassed after creating images of Jeanie Ditty with her 2-year-old daughter Macy Grace.
Ditty, 23, and her boyfriend Zachary Earl Keefer, 32, were arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse in Macy's death, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
Ditty had found Jo online, and sought heartfelt images of herself with Macy. The toddler died after choking on her vomit just three days earlier, she told him. Jo was so moved by Ditty's story, he did the $500 worth of photo editing for free, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
"She sounded like a grieving mother. She was convincing," Jo told The Fayetteville Observer. "Doing this was the biggest mistake I've made in my career," he told The Washington Post. "The only good thing was being able to give Macy a voice."
Macy was taken to the hospital Dec. 2 with bruises covering her body, head trauma and internal injuries, according to The Fayetteville Observer. She died from her injuries.
Kevin Ditty, the child's father, was called back from overseas to make the decision to take the toddler off life support, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
When Jo found out Ditty was charged, he called police to learn more about the investigation.
"I find out that she wanted these photos just to lie to the public," Jo told The Fayetteville Observer. "To cover up what she did so she can look like the grieving mother."
Ditty serves in the Army as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist. She joined the military in 2013 and has received the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Keefer also served 12 years in the military.
Ditty and Keefer are being held without bail.
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