Vigil held for Jaelynn Alston, teen found dead in Phoenix building
More than 50 people gathered at a church on Friday night to mourn 18-year-old Jaelynn Alston, remembering her as a daughter and friend who "had a big heart."
Alston was found dead with extensive injuries to multiple parts of her body on Jan. 16 in a room of a building in an industrial area near 43rd Avenue and Indian School Road in Phoenix. Police are still searching for a suspect.
The crowd of people gathered inside Life Changers Global Ministries near Broadway Road and Seventh Street in south Phoenix.
Alston's mother, Kenya Moses, broke down in tears at the beginning of the vigil. Alston's father, Jimmie Alston, thanked the crowd for their support.
"I'm hurting right now, real bad," he said. "It's a real big hurt. We hurt. But at the end of the day I gotta let God do what he do.
"Losing a child is a feeling I can't explain to you. It's a hurt you can't even explain," Jimmie Alston said.
"I know Jaelynn was no saint," he said. "But at the end of the day, she had a big heart. She loved big," he said, adding that she always wanted to help people.
Earlier this week, Jimmie Alston told The Arizona Republic that Jaelynn was an independent person who would come and go as she pleased at odd hours, but that he always stayed in touch with her.
"My wife says it's not about Jaelynn. There's a thousand Jaelynns," he said, talking about people who could pay closer attention to their kids. "This ain't just about us, this is about everybody."
He focused on how the community could go beyond just mourning and learn from her death.
"We gotta love each other, we gotta do what's best for each other," he said.
"And to the person who did this, we love you," Jimmie Alston said at the end of the vigil.
After the speakers, the crowd went outside where they sang, held candles and balloons, and prayed for closure for the family and support for the community.
Reach the reporter Connor Van Ligten at Connor.VanLigten@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @Connor_VL.