OKECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — More than 200 people came to Crist Fellowship Church in Okeechobee on Sunday night to remember brother and sister teens killed in a car crash.
Organizers and said the two killed were Anatalia and Antonio Garcia Navarrete. The Okeechobee Sheriff's Office said the brother and sister were on their way to school before being involved in a car crash with another vehicle on Friday morning on Highway 441 North (Old Boys School).
Guadalupe Sanchez said she has known both kids since they were born after being friends with their mother. She said the vigil means a lot to the family.
"It means a lot to their parents to know they are very much loved and though of," Sanchez said.
She said Anatalia loved her family, being active within the community and hanging out with friends. She also described Antonio as tall, hard-working, willing to help anybody, brutally honest and talkative.
A GoFundMe account has been set up with $37,000 raised.
Okeechobee County High School Principal Lauren Myers said the district lost another student in a shooting a few weeks ago. She said she's struggling to find a way to comfort students during this time.
“I don’t know how to have the right words as your principal, as a colleague, as a mentor, as a friend," Myers said. "But I know somebody who does.”
Matt Bowen, who is a pastor in Okeechobee County, urged those to rely on their faith during these times.
“There’s light in this community and that light is in your neighbor," he said.