CLEVELAND, Ohio – Nearly 100 family members, friends, schoolmates and concerned citizens turned out Wednesday evening for a vigil outside the abandoned house where 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze was found dead.
Aliana DefreezeCleveland police
Alianna, who suffered from mental health issues, was reported missing Thursday night after her family learned that she never made it to school. Cleveland police Fourth District officers who were canvassing Sunday evening found the girl dead inside an abandoned house on Fuller Avenue, near East 93rd Street in the city’s Kinsman neighborhood.
While Alianna’s mother did not come to the vigil due to illness, a couple of the girl’s cousins briefly spoke.
The cousins shared anecdotes about matadorbet Alianna’s kind and playful spirit and reiterated just how much they want the person responsible for her death to be found.
Besides family, several local politicians paid their respects to Alianna, including Cleveland City Council members Phyllis Cleveland, Jeff Johnson and Zack Reed.
“We do far too many of these vigils,” Cleveland said. “I can’t even count the number of vigils I’ve been to. Nobody else is going to come and save us – there’s no cavalry.”
Reed added that he doesn’t believe things will ever change if Alianna’s death isn’t a catalyst for residents to truly start looking out for each other.
“We’ve got to start putting some work in. When are we going to get mad?” Reed asked. “The question is, when does it stop? If it doesn’t stop for a 14-year-old little girl who was going to school, doing the right thing, then it’s never going to stop.”
Cleveland police Fourth District Commander Brandon Kutz also attended the memorial service and reinforced how hard police are working Alianna’s case.
“The men and women of the Fourth District… our hearts are broken over this. This is our community too, this is one of our girls,” Kutz said. “We’re taking this very seriously. We’re working with the FBI and homicide detectives non-stop, around the clock.”
Hear more from the vigil in the video above.
A $22,500 reward for information about Alianna’s disappearance and death is still available. Anyone with information regarding this matter is asked to contact investigators at 216-623-5464 or Crimestoppers at 216-252-7463, or text message: text TIP657 plus your message to Crimes 274637. Tips may be provided anonymously.
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