NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A crowded room gives way for family, friends and the Antioch community to say goodbye to 16-year-old Dayana Corea Escalante.
Hugs grip in the name of grief for her parents and family while a sermon in Spanish shares the responsibility of parents to set an example, pleads for changes to make children safer in their communities, hopes for better education, warns of social media and realizes the difficulties raising children today.
"Many parents they don't have time to be with their children," said the pastor.
A Guatemalan flag and an American flag were placed on the pink casket that held Dayana.
Students like Edwin Melgar came because he knew her from the hallways at school.
"I know her just from the hallway the cafeteria," said Melgar. "I remember how it was and my heart was broken and it is not something easy."
An abundance of flowers lay near the casket for the teenager silenced from the hallways that knew her.
Shakiya can't imagine what Tuesday will look like when she goes back to school.
"It is just going to be very difficult because her memorial is right there going into that and knowing someones life was ended," said Shakiya. "When you go to school you don't think of somebody doing that to you or somebody else so it is going to be very difficult to go back to or near the school."
In Latina tradition, the service continues through night and for a entire day for family and friends to mourn the loss of a young soul gone too soon.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at (Kim.Rafferty@newschannel5.com).
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
