More than 100 people came together in downtown Waxahachie Saturday night to remember a 6-year-old boy found dead hours after authorities issued an Amber Alert.
More than 100 people came together in downtown Waxahachie Saturday night to remember a 6-year-old boy found dead hours after authorities issued an Amber Alert.
They gathered around a growing memorial of stuffed animals and balloons along the wall of the Ellis County Courthouse parking garage where 6-year-old Philip Oliver "Ollie" Wiedemann's body was discovered Friday.
Both he and his mother, who police said did not have custody, were found dead after reports that she had abducted him.
At the vigil, candles were lit as Alan Fox invited the community forward to speak.
"Through prayer, goodwill, whatever… Let us honor this child. Let us honor the father. Let us honor and show everyone connected to them that we have love for them, even the mother. Somebody lost a daughter. Somebody lost a sibling. Let us go beyond our hate. Let us go beyond our not understanding of how this could happen and let us give something of ourselves," Fox said.
A few prayers were shared quietly among groups of friends while part of the crowd joined together in singing "Amazing Grace."
Mostly though, the crowd sat silent letting their presence speak their show of support.
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"We're a family. I didn't know Ollie and I don't know his dad, but we're all hurting down here together," John Bielamowicz said.
Bielamowicz, like many others, is the parent of a child who went to First Christian Day School, which Ollie attended.
"I'm not surprised to see everybody down here. We were all shocked and horrified by what happened and there's no closure. I don't know how you put closure on this, but we're going to heal and we're going to heal together as a community," Bielamowicz said.
Police have not released a cause of death in the case.
