Sweet, sassy and just 5 years old, Jada Moore lit up every room, and her mother’s life.
“My light has dimmed,” mother Kimberly Elwoods told NBC Chicago. “Completely.”
Police said Jada’s grandfather, Klent Elwoods and his wife, Lisa Jones, admitted to abusing the young girl while she was temporarily in their custody.
Paramedics arrived to the couple’s Park Forest home on Friday to find Jada naked and limp on the couch. She later died at the hospital.
“I want to know why,” Elwoods said. “I thought that man was a stand up guy, but he really is a monster. Him and his wife.”
Neighbors, Park Forest residents, and other community members who didn't even know Jada joined together Thursday night near the home where she was living.
The group prayed for her family and honored the young girl.
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“So today, we just celebrate life, life gone too soon,” Catherine Miles, a friend of Elwoods said at the vigil.
Elwoods offered her gratitude to community members who came to remember Jada's life.
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“I appreciate every single person who has come out for my daughter, every single prayer, every donation, anything that is related to my daughter, I truly appreciate each and every one of you,” Elwoods added.
Elwoods said Jada was living with her father and his wife while she dealt with financial issues and found a new job. Elwoods was planning to take Jada back with her next month, so she could enroll in school.
