| Vigil a solace to loved ones March 14, 2004 FULL STORY WITH PICTURES Despite laughter coming from the nearby playground, the park was filled with sad stories. Families and friends of murdered and missing loved ones gathered at Graceada Park on Saturday for the sixth annual Vigil of Hope. "I was thinking, what a dirty shame it is that we have to be here today," said Ron Grantski, Laci Peterson's stepfather. "Some animal took someone away from us. We have to go on." Sponsored by the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, the vigil drew more than 300 people from across the country. Alleashia Thomas of Atwater came to the vigil because she wanted to be around people who understood what she is experiencing. Her son, Jonathon Harper, was killed in Merced nine months ago after he went to a party with friends. No one has been arrested in the case. "The surroundings are so sad, but you don't feel like an outcast," Thomas said. "There are a lot of other people hurting here. "I'm no longer a fun person to be around. I'm a grieving mother," Thomas said. Friends are drifting away. "They don't know what to say." "Losing a child is the worst thing a mother can endure. It's like they murdered me," Thomas said. That sentiment was echoed by the family of Laci Peterson, the Modesto woman who disappeared around Christmas Eve 2002 and whose body was found in April. "We're all here today because we have something in common," said Sharon Rocha, Laci's mother. Rocha said she used to listen to the news and think she could understand what victims' families were going through. "You have no idea of the depth of the pain," she said. "We should never have to experience the pain." It's been 15 months since Laci disappeared, she said, and "I still cry each day." Rocha offered some advice to others in her position. "Don't allow anyone to tell you when it's time to stop crying, or it's time to move on or to get over it," Rocha said. "A part of us has died. We will never get over it." HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT EVIDENCE-NEWS LACI'S ALBUM LACI'S FAMILY ALBUM |
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