Her Parents Melted Her With Chemicals And Dumped Her in a Pond_vmdt

Her Parents Melted Her With Chemicals And Dumped Her in a Pond_vmdt

There are cases where we know exactly who someone was before we tell you what happened to them. We know their birthday and the hospital where they were born. We know what their teachers said about them and what they liked to do on the playgrounds. This is not one of those cases. J’veah Harris was 4 years old.
That is what we know for certain. She lived in Aiken, South Carolina. She weighed about 40 lb. She was 3 ft 6 in tall. She loved Minnie Mouse. She was last seen with braids and pink beads in her [music] hair. She loved the color pink. >> Hey. What do you want to say about the baby? >> J’veah baby. >> No confirmed birth date appears in any public record available at the time we recorded this.
There is no obituary. There is no grave to visit. And there is a reason for that last part. One that we will get to when one that will stay with you. >> J’veah’s mother was 22-year-old Michelle Herring. Her father was 23-year-old Jamaria Harris. The couple lived together at 39 Hillsborough Street in Aiken. Michelle worked for a company called Transcom.
Jamaria worked for DHL Bridgestone. Records show the couple had been moving around for years. Jamaria had been named in an eviction case in Union County. That case was settled in November of 2023. Michelle’s name appeared in a separate eviction case filed by the Union Housing Authority in December of 2025. This ended with a judge ordering her out of the unit.
From Union County, both ended up in Aiken. No prior criminal records for either parent have been released publicly. No prior child protective services contact with the family has been confirmed on the record. What the public record does show is that the relationship between the two was volatile in the months leading up to the events of today’s story and it was getting worse.
Two domestic incidents occurred during that period. The first was from November of 2025 in Clinton, South Carolina. Michelet called police on Jamaria because she said he was trying to leave their home. Officers responded to what they described as a dispute over moving a table. The couple agreed to stay separate for the rest of the day.
The second report was from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office on March 16th of 2026. This time the argument turned physical. Jamaria allegedly tried to force Michelet out of the car so he could use it. She did not want to press charges, but she asked him to leave. According to the report, the argument started over a hot dog.
Neither report mentions Javaeh. But Javaeh had her own story in the neighborhood, and some of what former neighbors have said is difficult to hear knowing what we know now. In Union County, where the family lived before moving to Aiken, their neighbor, only known in sources as Miss Young, told reporters that the people on the street had been quietly watching out for the little girl for a long time.
She said, and I quote, “They fed her, bathed her, and gave her new clothes and sent her back home. It wasn’t just me. People in that neighborhood noticed the exact same thing.” By the time June of 2026 arrived, Michelet was 39 weeks pregnant with another child. We’ll be back in just 1 minute. Please stick around for the following ad.
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It takes 2 minutes to get that appointment off your plate for good. Head to zocdoc.com/miserymachine now to get started. Thanks, and back to the episode. According to arrest warrants signed by Aiken County investigators, the events of today’s story began on or about June 5th, 2026. The warrants state that Michelle caused Ja’veah’s death while committing CA or neglect, [music] and that the death occurred under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to human life.
Both parents’ confessions are cited as the basis for the charges. What exactly happened inside the house on Hillsborough Street on that day is not publicly known in full detail. The warrants confirm that the injury was to Ja’veah’s head, and that she suffered a head injury at the hands of her mother. After the injury, neither parent sought medical attention for her.
Not that day, and not in the days that followed. Ja’veah died as a result of that head injury and the decision not to treat it. According to investigators, her body remains in the home at 39 Hillsborough Street. Arrest warrants allege that Ja’veah remained there after her death between May 1st and June 15th of 2026.
For weeks, she was in that house while her parents went about their lives. Then, on June 8th, 3 days after investigators believe she died, Jamaria Harris and Michelle Herring did something that Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer would later describe as the most horrific thing he’d encountered in nearly four decades in law enforcement.
They dissolved her body with chemicals. After the chemical destruction of her body at the home, the parents transported what remained of JaVea to Cedar Creek Reservoir in Fairfield County, also known locally as Stumpy Pond, which is located approximately 100 miles from Aiken. The parents have family ties to that part of South Carolina.
They poured her remains into the water. And then, 22 days later, on the evening of June 30th, 2026, Michelle picked up the phone and called 911. The call came in just before 9:00. >> Aiken County 911, what is your emergency? >> Um, ma’am, I’m at 39 Hillsborough Street. I can’t find my baby. >> 39 Hillsborough Street? >> Yes, ma’am.
She was outside playing and I came out here after I cooked dinner a little bit and I’m looking for her, but I don’t see her nowhere. >> All right. How old is this baby? >> She’s four. >> All right. What was she wearing? >> She had on pink Minnie Mouse pajamas and she had me and pink beads. She had braids. >> Is she black, white, or Hispanic? >> She’s mixed.
>> Okay. How long ago did you see her, ma’am? When was the last time you saw her? >> Oh, I just came out here like no less than 20 to 30 minutes I went in the house to cook dinner and that’s all right. >> getting dark. And when I came out here, I just >> Okay. Okay. Just just take a breath for me, okay? I already have them on the way to you, okay? Do you know where she might be heading? Okay, you have any family or friends that live around the area? >> No, but she usually try to chase our chickens and kids home and I just
I’ve been looking through the woods to try to see if I see her, but I don’t I don’t see her nowhere. >> What’s your name? >> My name is Jaziah Harris. >> All right. What’s her name? >> Jaziah Harris. >> Harris? I couldn’t hear the first name. >> Jaziah is spelled j a z i a y a a h. And I wasn’t out here.
I’m 39 weeks pregnant. I can’t keep up with her like that. >> Okay. Anybody else out there with her like that was out there with her? Any friends, kids playing with her? >> The way our yard is set up, it’s nothing but There’s nothing but the dogs and the chickens >> Okay. All right. Does she have any Does she have any health issues? Any mental issues, anything like that? >> They just say that she was autistic, but she just now turned to four.
So, they don’t have no diagnosis all the way. >> Okay. >> She’s very smart though. She don’t seem autistic. >> Does she talk? >> Yeah. Yeah, she can carry a full conversation. >> Okay, you didn’t see any vehicles before you went inside or anything like that? >> No, but what worries me is these crackheads and wolves eating his cows behind the house. I don’t know.
It’s I’ve always felt weird about them and I just I don’t know. >> Hello? >> I’m still here, ma’am. Give me just a second. >> My My call might be breaking up cuz where we at. >> Okay. What’s a good callback number for you, ma’am? >> Um Ma’am, I don’t have one. My phone is not on, but I can still call 911. >> Okay. Yeah.
>> Oh my god. >> Okay, I have on the way to you. Just to confirm, where was she in the house when you saw her last? >> No, she wasn’t in the house, ma’am. She’d been playing outside today. >> Okay. >> asked me can she play for a little bit more before it got dark, and I said yes. And I literally have that water in the cooler ready.
And dinner is cooking, and I came out here to get her. And I can’t even find her. >> Okay, is there a certain place she likes to play outside? >> Usually in the chicken coop, and that’s usually where I find her every day. And I just looked in here, and she’s not in here. >> Okay. Are there any bodies of water nearby? >> Um I don’t know, ma’am.
Me and my husband just now purchased in this house. I don’t know about this area much, but it’s not a good area. I’ll tell you that. It’s not good. >> Okay, you said you searched the woods. Is that behind your house? >> Yes, it’s it’s like a pathway right behind my house. And we we usually take the dogs sometimes in the woods to just let them run.
And she’ll come, so I know she knows about woods. And the I but I looked down the same pathway that we walk, and I don’t see her. >> Okay, and you said she was wearing pink Mickey, I’m sorry, Minnie Mouse pajamas. Anything else you may be wearing? >> Her Her beads are pink. >> Beads are pink? >> Yeah, and she’s got braids. I mean, I don’t know if she’s got on Crocs or or which shoes, cuz she just put on play shoes, but I don’t know, ma’am.
There’s not no way she could have got far. >> All right. Are you Do you have neighbors around the area that you’re familiar with she might be going to? >> No, we don’t talk to none of these people. None of these people cuz they all mostly do drugs. I don’t I don’t associate myself with that. >> Have you checked with neighbors to see if they have seen her? >> No, ma’am.
I’m literally like I called you like 10 minutes after I stepped outside. The cops are pulling up right now. >> All right, go go ahead and talk to them, okay? >> Okay, thank you. >> All right, no problem. >> Before his arrest, Jamaria Harris gave an interview to reporters outside the family’s home, still presenting as a worried father.
Said Ja’Veya was not the kind of child who would just wander off. >> Not knowing is is is killing me. It is killing me like Because like I mean you see stuff like this all the time, but you don’t expect it to be you. >> He said that he was out of the house when his daughter was reported missing, but he knew something was going on when he saw a lot of patrol vehicles in the area.
Told reporters that he was doing laundry and had visited a convenience store. He said >> I was seeing a lot of polices and stuff going through, and I was wondering I was like, you know what I’m saying? You know a lot of stuff goes on in Apopka to where you like you would be like, “Okay, that’s the police or whatever.” But you know, yeah, I didn’t I didn’t know that it was mine until my girlfriend at the time didn’t have service.
She didn’t have service on her phone, so she couldn’t call me to let me know anything that was going on. So she just ended up calling 911. So when I came back to the house, um before I got on my road, I seen a a a police truck with a drone out. >> That’s when, according to Jamaria, he sped home. He said >> Cuz I was like, “Is something going down like close to my house?” When I got to the uh turn on my road, I seen a whole bunch of polices like right at my house.
So I messed with my heart and I got to the house and I was like, “What’s going on?” I thought my girlfriend was in labor because she was supposed to have a baby, you know what I’m saying? Stone, so she ended up having a child that same that that same night on July 1st. But she came she came up crying to me saying my uh is missing.
>> He told reporters he’d been giving detectives information about people he noticed around the house and said he had no idea what might have happened to his daughter. He said, >> I have no clue. Like I Like sir, I don’t I don’t I don’t like It’s really wild, but I had like I said, I had I had gave all of these detectives information about people snooping around the house lately.
>> The description Michelle A. gave on that 911 call, the pink Minnie Mouse pajamas, Crocs, braided hair with pink beads, became the face of the search. That image circulated across social media platforms, every local news broadcast, and digital billboards across Aiken County. People shared it by the thousands.
In retrospect, it was the image of a little girl who had already been gone for weeks. The moment that call came in, law enforcement mobilized. What followed was one of the largest missing child searches South Carolina had seen in years. At its peak, more than 200 law enforcement officers and first responders were working the case.
This included the FBI, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, among others. Helicopters flew grid patterns, drones swept the terrain, and canine units worked the woods and fields around Hillsborough Street. Deputies stopped every vehicle passing through the area for questioning.
Door-to-door canvassing covered the surrounding neighborhoods. By July 2nd, crews had covered more than 3,000 acres. By the 3rd, over 5,000. >> Like much of the world, South Carolina was in the grip of a heat wave that week with temperatures reaching near or above 100° F or 37.78° C.
Bethel Baptist Church opened its doors in the early morning hours of June 30th and became the search command center. Pastor Stan Adams said yes without hesitation when he got the call. He said, “Early Wednesday morning I was called and asked if we could open our facilities up to the guys that were here. We had a parking lot full for the command centers.
” Church members cooked meals around the clock. They gave officers a place to cool down between shifts. Pastor Adams watched them come in from the heat. He said, “You could see the disappointment on their faces every time they’d come back in to report. They would come into the fellowship hall worn out.
” Community members asked why there was no Amber Alert for JaVeah. Aiken County Department of Emergency Management addressed the question saying the situation did not meet the requirements for an alert to be issued. Among them, confirmation of an abduction and evidence of imminent danger to the child.
They said, “We simply cannot risk someone not properly trained making a mistake, missing a clue, or causing other harm.” An Amber Alert is issued when law enforcement confirms a child is abducted and in danger. All five of these guidelines from the US Department of Justice must be met as it stands currently. And they are: The child is 17 years old or younger.
There is reasonable belief that a kidnapping took place. The child is in immediate danger of serious harm or death. There is enough descriptive information about the child, the suspect, or the vehicle to help the public find them. The child’s name and data must be entered into the National Crime Information Center.
Alok Kumar Ax the owner of Taj Aiken Indian Cuisine could not sit home on the 4th of July when deputies were out in the heat. He cooked 60 meals and delivered them to the search crews. He said, “It’s a national holiday for us and everyone is at home with the family, but not the police department. They are around the clock.
They are working to find her.” >> On July 3rd, the visible search was scaled back. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that organized search activities would be reduced, but the investigation would not stop. That scale back announcement was in hindsight a sign of what was coming. On July 4th, 2026, Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer stood before cameras and said the words that the community had feared.
>> I’m deeply saddened to tell you that our investigation and evidence leads us to believe that 4-year-old Ja’Veah Harris is deceased. It’s the outcome that we all feared and sadly it’s the outcome that we must face. We’re currently searching an area of interest right now not in Aiken County and I am not disclosing where that’s at.
But I’m sure you understand if in fact Ja’Veah’s body is where we think it is it’s going to be a difficult time for everybody there. And we don’t need anybody from the outside outside of law enforcement trying to access that area. >> At the moment Michelle was on the phone describing the chicken coop and the bath water in the tub Ja’Veah had been gone for weeks.
Every helicopter pass, every canine sweep, every deputy questioning drivers in 100° heat, all of that had been looking for a child who was already at the bottom of a reservoir in Fairfield County. >> On July 4th, 2026, Michelle and Jamaria were arrested. Jamaria was charged with homicide by CA.
Michelle was charged with two counts, homicide by CA and filing a false police report. The homicide charge carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. False police report charge can be up to 5 years in prison or a $5,000 fine. Both were booked into the Aiken County Detention Center. Sheriff Sawyer said additional charges were possible.
On July 5th, both appeared before Magistrate Judge Ronald Thornton in separate bond hearings and were denied bond. Michelle’s hearing that morning, Judge Thornton ruled she would be held without bond in part because of the false police report charge. She appeared without a lawyer present. The judge found her income too high to qualify for a public defender as she said she brought home $1,300 every 2 weeks.
Her first court appearance was set for September of 2026. Jamarion’s hearing was that afternoon. When Judge Thornton asked Jamarion if anyone else lived in his household, he answered, “My girlfriend.” Then in a quieter voice, “My child.” He too was denied bond. Since magistrate court does not have authority to set bond on homicide charges, both cases were referred to a circuit court judge who would hear the matter within 30 days.
The arrest warrants were released publicly on July 6th. They confirmed what the sheriff had already told the community. On July 7th, investigators returned to 39 Hillsborough Street. Deputies spent several hours inside the home and in the surrounding woods sifting through dirt with screens and tagging evidence with yellow number blocks.
Dark-colored piece of rotted cloth was found as well as what appeared to be a shoe. Tarp was placed around a tire swing in the yard and photographed. Investigators took down the crime scene tape around 9:15 p.m. and left with multiple evidence bags. Law enforcement source told reporters that the work at the home was evidence collection, not part of the ongoing search for Javeon’s remains.
The body search continued in Fairfield County near Beaver Creek and the Cedar Creek Reservoir. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources had boats, ATVs, and dive teams deployed. >> On July 9th, Sheriff Slayer held another press conference. He and his staff arrived wearing pink ribbons and ties in honor of Javeon’s favorite color.
>> Personally, there’s some very harsh words that I would like to use about Jamarion and Meishaela and their actions. But I will not do that. And I will not do do to protect and maintain the integrity of this case. But I will tell you this, I will not refer to them as mom and dad or mother or father. They don’t deserve that title.
Understand that I cannot discuss all the specific details in this case. But at this time, I can share that a few human remains were recovered in an area known as Cedar Creek Reservoir, also known as Stumpy Pond in Fairfield County. These remains were immediately sent to State Law Enforcement Division and through analysis, the DNA of the remains are consistent with being the biological offspring of Demaria and Me’Kayla.
I want to also share with you that through forensic evidence, statements, and analysis, extensive and deliberate efforts were made to destroy and conceal evidence following Ja’Veah’s death. Our information reveals the use of corrosive chemicals and other tools that were used to accelerate the destruction of her little body.
After this was completed, these two individuals poured what remains were left of Ja’Veah into the Cedar Creek Reservoir. These subjects went through great lengths to cover their repulsive and revolting actions. In my 37-year career in law enforcement, I’ve never ever heard of anything so horrific. As a result of this information, it’s unlikely that the entirety of Ja’Veah’s body or any other remains from this point forward will be recovered.
>> Both Michelle and Jamaria were then charged with destruction and desecration of human remains. Bond was denied again that afternoon. The warrants for that charge, signed by Magistrate Judge Tracy Carroll on July 8th, state that on June 8th, 2026, both parents willfully, knowingly, and unlawfully destroyed and or damaged the remains of Ja’Veah Harris by using a chemical agent at 39 Hillsborough Street.
Both parents remain in custody on multiple charges. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Their first court appearances are scheduled for the fall of 2026. On the night of July 5th, hours after both parents were denied bond, a candlelight vigil was held at the alley in downtown Aiken. They held candles and prayed together.
>> The heartbreaking end of Ja’Veah’s story turned into a moment of unity for Aiken Sunday night. >> I think the community is awesome. They’re here for for the child. They’re here for a little girl that they ain’t never met, don’t even know, but there’s a lot of love in their heart for this child.
And we’re here to show our love for her. >> We don’t KNOW WHY IT HAPPENED. >> Those that never even met her told me Ja’Veah felt like one of their own. >> Knowing that this little girl, 4 years old, um defensive, not being able to defend herself um throughout this tragic moment, man, it just it adds on um to the to the to the pain, the the stress, and the agony.
Like, I felt like that was my child. >> And the community will always be there for Ja’Veah’s extended family. >> To Ja’Veah’s extended family, you guys, I’m so sorry. Um JaVea was a beautiful little girl and her extended community here in Aiken, we love her and we’re praying for each and every one of you. And if you need anything, your community is here for you.
>> Meanwhile, a memorial of pink stuffed animals and balloons grew outside of JaVea’s family home in Aiken. >> What started with a single teddy bear >> That followed a lady on that first put the first teddy bear out and I said, “Okay, that’s something I can do.” >> looks very different a week later. >> I mean, my son came out, put it and the next day we came, it had grown so.
>> And while horrific things happened inside, the outside has become a place for the community to grieve. >> Yeah, people out here don’t even know the baby is really sad. She was a beautiful baby. Cry. >> When I look at her, she remind me of my daughter. >> And above all, show love. >> And it’s brought us together and it’s showing us that no matter what, all us feel and love the same.
>> And that love is in Shiloh Heights. >> You have people coming in. Um you see them buying things, buying candy, little toys. Um forces to talk with the town, so everybody’s talking about it. You know, >> beyond. >> Everybody coming together, heart, Facebook. This has gotten big. This has touched so many hearts and we’ve got to believe this is what I mean, it’s hard to say, but for some kind of reason, we’ve got to take something out of this.
And all we can take is love. >> It’s hit, you know, across the river in Augusta, Columbia County, like the CSRA in general. You know, this stuff has made national headlines, so you know, it it affect it affect everybody in some shape, form or fashion. >> But even in the face of tragedy, this community has banded together, so no one forgets the name JaVea Harris.
>> And we’ve got to believe this is what I mean, it’s hard to say, but for some kind of reason, we’ve got to take something out of this. And all we can take is love. >> On July 9th, the same morning Sheriff Sawyer confirmed the discovery of her remains, a second vigil was held at the event center on Shiloh Heights Road at 7:30 p.m.
It was organized by Christie Pace and Tonya Kitchings and led by Pastor Joshua Stallings of Remnant Ministries. Hundreds attended. Some had driven for hours to be there. >> I’m just feeling overwhelmed and this is really hitting close to home. I have a 4-year-old and we live right around the corner.
I just can’t imagine it. A parent, you know, doing this to their kid. >> Those feelings were shared by many in attendance. One of the most emotional moments came when Ja’Veah’s grandfather told the crowd he did not raise his family this way. Vigil organizer Christy Pace said she felt called to bring the community together. >> And I’m hoping this brings awareness to that that we also need We need better programs. We need more assistance.
And whether it’s DSS or DFACS or whatever the case may be, they need they need a better system. Because they’re so overwhelmed, they get these calls and they can’t do anything other than just pass the baby on to someone else and someone else and someone else and sometimes it’s a family line that’s continuing >> Pace also urged people to report suspected child abuse when they see it.
When asked what message she had for Ja’Veah’s parents, she said, >> I can’t say what I want to say on camera. My words are not nice for them. They’re monsters. They’re the worst type of evil that I have ever come across in my entire life and that says a lot. >> On July 10th, a vigil was held at Foster Park in Union County, about a mile from where the family used to live in the town where Ms.
Young and her neighbors had once had been quietly watching out for Ja’Veah. Hundreds gathered. >> I see her beautiful little face and I think about what happened to her. It it hit me vividly. She’s at home with her heavenly father cuz she’s an angel. See, she’s still an angel. So, she made it back home to her heavenly father. >> Just say her name, Ja’Veah Harris.
She did matter. >> At only 4 years old, >> she loved pink. She had Minnie Mouse every day. Um that’s what she had in her hand every day. >> Ja’Veah Harris has left a legacy now revolving around protecting the innocent. >> Kids are supposed to live, play, learn, not die. A child is never supposed to be harmed or mistreated.
My kids should not know about this. My kids should know that a kid that was in our home is now gone. >> We have to take care of our children and we if we see something we have to say something. That’s it. And we love you. Sleep in peace, baby girl. >> On July 11th, a second vigil was held in Evans, Georgia, about 45 minutes from Aiken.
Hannah Kirkland organized it. She said, “I tried to tell as many people that did come up to me that I love them. I hope for love for everybody in the community, no matter who you are.” Candles stamped with JaVeah’s name were distributed at the Evans vigil. All of the stuffed animals brought there were donated to local law enforcement agencies who give them to children on their worst days.
Items from the Union County vigil were brought to Hillsborough Street and added to the memorial outside of JaVeah’s home. A bicycle giveaway was planned for July 25th at the Henry Brigham Community Center in Augusta, Georgia, organized in JaVeah’s honor. A bike ride was scheduled the same day at Citizens Park in Aiken.
>> In response to the case, a petition circulated on change.org calling for a new federal law titled JaVeah’s Law. Petition argues that current federal law imposes strict financial penalties for bomb threats and terrorist hoaxes, but contains what it calls a loophole. It does not automatically require those same penalties for someone who fabricates a child’s disappearance to conceal a crime.
The petition calls for a mandatory federal felony charge. It demands guaranteed financial restitution for all taxpayer money spent on the search response with no judicial discretion. >> [music] >> And it calls for mandatory parenting and child development classes for any expectant or new parent age 25 or younger.
Aaron Millam, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center of Aiken County, said the community need to understand that recognizing the signs of CA does not come from a checklist. She said, “There are not a list of signs that I can tell you 100% this is in a child, but there are signs that something isn’t right. Please report it.
Report it to law enforcement. Report it to DSS. It’s better that you’re wrong than not to report it at all.” Fatima Thompson, a family advocate with the same center, noted that children who are not visible in school, daycare, or the broader community are the ones most likely to go unnoticed. Anyone with concerns about a child’s welfare in South Carolina can call the state CA hotline at 888-CARE4US.
Ja’Veah’s newborn baby sister, who was born the same night Michelle made the 911 call, was placed in the custody of the paternal grandmother after the DSS became involved. Justin Singletary, a close friend of the grandmother who grew up in Great Falls and has known both sides of the family for years, said the grandmother was devastated.
He said he had been in contact with her trying to keep her spirits lifted. >> There is no grave for Ja’Veah Harris. The remains recovered from Cedar Creek Reservoir were confirmed by DNA. But they were partial and Sheriff Sawyer stated that it was unlikely any more would ever be found. What Jamaria and Michelle took from Ja’Veah was not only her life.
They took away the possibility of a proper goodbye. They took away the chance for anyone who loved her to have a place to go and sit with her. The community gave back everything it could and the memorial on Hillsborough Street kept growing. Pink balloons, Minnie Mouse stuffed animals, flowers, candles, handwritten notes from strangers who had seen a 4-year-old’s face on a billboard and couldn’t shake it.
According to neighbor Jacquelyn Brown, and I quote, “I just wish that we had this before now, where she would have lived her sweet life as a child should, with so much love and so much care. We’ll never forget her. She’s our baby. She all belonged to us.” Alok, the restaurant owner who spent the 4th of July cooking for search crews, had already what needed to be said a weeks before the vigils.
Standing in a parking lot while people were still out looking for a little girl who was already gone. He said, in part, “Nobody knows her, but she’s from our community, and she’s a little girl. She doesn’t deserve that.” He paused, and then continued, “The small coffins are the heaviest.”