Janaya’s story

You may not see any flowers at the scene and possibly no memorial of any kind, but years after the death of Janaya Thompson, residents in the neighborhood still remember the day it happened.
After the horrific murder of five-year-old Janaya Thompson, the abandoned home where her body was found is once again empty and now for rent as friends and neighbors of Thompson’s family are trying their best to move on. Neighbor Carolyn Helm said, “This never happened here. It’s quiet here and everyone’s friendly. We all get along and there’s never any mess or never any drama going on around here.”
Alberto Garcia was sentenced to death in January for the murder of Thompson in July 2014. Now, neighbors just want to see their children safe. “I’m more thinking about keeping my children safe and other children around here safe because of that incident,” said Helm.
When it comes to keeping her children safe, a few things come to mind for Helm. “Well knowing the people that are around, number one knowing your neighbors is one thing and keeping an eye around your neighborhood being aware of who is around and stuff. There’s been strange cars driving by here a lot lately so we keep an eye on the kids when we tell the kids not to go near the car.”
This neighborhood has not witnessed another crime like this. Although it may have been three years ago, close neighbors like Carolyn Helm still remember that horrific day. “I think it’s gotten back to a little bit of normalcy and stuff.