RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was an emotional and night as dozens of family and friends came together to honor 15-year-old Natasha Dwyer at a candlelight vigil.
In the middle of the rain, there was prayer.
“Lord, we know she’s gone, but her memory still lives on.”
There was also singing, hugs and tears as a large crowd packed the corner of Elmhurst and Haverhill Roads in West Palm Beach.
“This rain is not tears of sadness, it’s tears of happiness. She wanted us to be together,” said Latoya Jackson, Natasha’s mother.
Jackson was surrounded by loved ones, friends and even complete strangers to pay their respects days after the Inlet Grove High School Sophomore was tragically killed.
“It’s not something I would ever wish on anyone’s family or anything, so please I beg of you cherish your loved ones,” said Anne Bristol, a classmate.
Battling raindrops, mourners lit candles and placed flowers and touching tributes at the intersection where Natasha was hit by a school bus Wednesday morning while walking to her bus stop.
Investigators say she was in the crosswalk as the bus was making a right turn with a green light.
Natasha was in the medical program at her high school…with dreams of becoming a nurse, and she was set to turn 16 on Christmas Eve.
Loved ones sang happy birthday through the pain. The broken hearts will never be healed, but Natasha’s mom believes she’s up in heaven looking down.
“That’s all she would have said, it’s ok because I want all of you guys to come together,” Jackson said.
The sheriff’s office says the crash is still under investigation.
