A call has been made to immortalize the memory of murdered 12-year-old Mercedez Layne.
Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo announced that he will seek council approval to honour her with a portrait at the Siparia Borough Corporation’s Irwin Park Sporting Complex.
The life of Mercedez Layne was celebrated on Tuesday as family, friends, government officials, and community members gathered to remember a life gone too soon.
Remembered as a bright, loving, and promising young girl whose life was tragically cut short, Mercedez Layne was eulogized by family, friends, and community leaders who celebrated the impact she had on those around her and called for her memory to live on.
To honour her legacy, Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo is seeking council approval to have a portrait of Mercedez commissioned.
“I hope and pray that her passing will not die when we take her to that cemetery today. Today I want to seek the approval of council to paint a portrait of Mercedez on the walls of the Siparia Corporation Erwin Park Facility in remembrance of her and this will be done with the approval of her family.”
Delivering an emotional tribute, Mercedez’s sister, Shereeka Layne, spoke of the anger, heartbreak and disbelief surrounding her loss. Despite the tragedy, she urged mourners to remember the joy, love and beauty that defined Mercedez’s life.
“There’s anger, there’s heartbreak, there’s disbelief, because no child should ever have to endure what Mercedez endured, no parent should have to burry their child, no sibling should have to stand before a congregation and speak about a life that ended far too soon. Yet even if we face such darkness, we refuse to allow the tragedy of her death to overshadow the beauty of her life.”
Member of Parliament for La Brea, Clyde Elder, meanwhile, encouraged the community to continue supporting the family beyond the funeral.
“But I want to admonish all of us that after Mercedez is laid to rest as she will be today, that we do not leave this family alone, that this care that we have for this family must not be for a fleeting moment but not just for this family but for every single child in our community today.”
As family, friends and community members said their final goodbyes, calls were made for Mercedez’s memory to live on through continued support for children and families, and through efforts to ensure that no other child suffers a similar fate.