Nearly 10,000 people in Missouri gathered on Saturday night to pay their respects to Hailey Owens, the 10-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered earlier this week, the Associated Press reported.
Local media reports said the vigil included a walk down Springfield's Commercial Street, with thousands of Hailey's family, friends, neighbors, and members of Bikers Against Child Abuse remembering the girl who was taken in broad daylight.
On Tuesday, witnesses said a man -- later identified as Craig Michael Wood -- snatched Hailey in front of a neighbor's home and sped off. Wood allegedly drove up and down the street several times before abducting her around 5 p.m.
"Tonight is about Hailey, not the crime," said Angel Boeddeker, a Springfield resident who attended to the vigil with yellow ribbons for others to wear.
Cora Scott, a spokeswoman for the city, estimated the amount of participants at 10,000, all of which brought their own candles and used Boeddeker's ribbons. Some people wore pink and purple, which were Hailey's favorite colors.
"I came because I saw the video of the mother on the news," said resident Donna Rivers. "It was really important to her. She really felt the support when we do things like this."
Ann and Richard Etta, who are friends with Hailey's mother, Stacey Barfield, said the girl's family is doing "as good as can be expected."
Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Seifried spoke to the attendees at the end of the walk.
"There are no words to describe our community's broken heart," Seifried said. "There are no words to describe our frustration. The unthinkable has happened in our community."
