Twelve-year-old Mercedez Layne never made the short journey home, like she was supposed to. More than a week after her murder, she will finally return to her Erin home—this time in a casket—before being laid to rest on Tuesday.
The nation was plunged into shock and sadness when Mercedez’s semi-nude body was discovered in bushes off a dirt track along Carapal Road, Erin, last Sunday.
The previous day, at about 11.30 am, a relative had placed her in a PH taxi at the corner of Lorensette Road to take her home - less than five minutes away. She never arrived.
An autopsy later revealed that the St Francis RC School student had been beaten to death.
Relatives said that before her funeral service at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Erin at 1 pm on Tuesday, the hearse will make a final stop at her home.
Following the service, she will be buried at the Erin Public Cemetery.
Meanwhile, in Mercedez’s honour, a candlelight vigil will be held today from Carapal Junction to the family’s home.
Organisers have asked attendees to gather at 6.45 pm and wear pink or white in tribute to her innocence and memory.
Palo Seco resident Richard Renalis, 26, was charged with her murder.
