Memorial in Honor of Janaya Thompson’s Birthday
Tonight the Gulfport community gathered to honor the memory of a little girl whose life was tragically snatched away last summer. Janaya Thompson would have celebrated her seventh birthday today.The young girl was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in July 2014.
What should have been a day of celebration was instead a day of remembrance for Janaya Thompson. Resident Tracy White said, “We still remember. We haven’t forgotten about her. She’s the child now that everybody loves.”
Family, friends and neighbors decided to gather in front of the trailer on Whitney Drive where the horrific incident took place. Janaya’s cousin Angela Hinton said, “To bring closure and to also bring a sense of peace to this spot because I’m tired of coming this way and kind of turning my head.”
The memorial service started with a candle lighting and ended with a prayer. Throughout the memorial service, people brought cupcakes, candles and even balloons to celebrate the life of Janaya. A special balloon in particular was one that said princess, a nickname they often called her. “We actually had a squad,” said Hinton, “We would call them the princess squad. It was three of them. They always dressed as princesses. They always had tiaras. That’s all they did.”
Hinton tells News 25 tonight’s service was all about remembering the way Janaya lived, not the way she passed. “Janaya was a beautiful child. She lived like that. You always see her smiling. You always saw her outside laughing and making friends.”
Janaya Thompson was just five-years-old at the time of her death. The family plans to hold some type of memorial service every year for Janaya’s birthday.
What should have been a day of celebration was instead a day of remembrance for Janaya Thompson. Resident Tracy White said, “We still remember. We haven’t forgotten about her. She’s the child now that everybody loves.”
Family, friends and neighbors decided to gather in front of the trailer on Whitney Drive where the horrific incident took place. Janaya’s cousin Angela Hinton said, “To bring closure and to also bring a sense of peace to this spot because I’m tired of coming this way and kind of turning my head.”
The memorial service started with a candle lighting and ended with a prayer. Throughout the memorial service, people brought cupcakes, candles and even balloons to celebrate the life of Janaya. A special balloon in particular was one that said princess, a nickname they often called her. “We actually had a squad,” said Hinton, “We would call them the princess squad. It was three of them. They always dressed as princesses. They always had tiaras. That’s all they did.”
Hinton tells News 25 tonight’s service was all about remembering the way Janaya lived, not the way she passed. “Janaya was a beautiful child. She lived like that. You always see her smiling. You always saw her outside laughing and making friends.”
Janaya Thompson was just five-years-old at the time of her death. The family plans to hold some type of memorial service every year for Janaya’s birthday.
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