WATERVILLE, Maine — Participants are being asked to bring teddy bears to a vigil for missing Waterville toddler Ayla Reynolds.
Organizers will distribute free bracelets and nightlights, and the teddy bears will be donated to police or other agencies that help children cope with emergencies.
The vigil is set for Saturday afternoon.
Laurie Bingham of Waterville says she organized the event to keep Ayla’s name in the public eye so she’s not forgotten as police continue investigating her disappearance. Bingham does not know Ayla’s family, and lives about mile from the home where she was reported missing.
“Since day one this has struck my heart,” said Bingham. “She doesn’t deserve this, and her family doesn’t deserve this.”
Ayla was 20 months old when she was reported missing Dec. 17 by her father, Justin DiPietro. He said he last saw her when he put her to bed the night before. Police have called her disappearance a crime but no one has been charged.
Her mother, Trista Reynolds, lives in Portland.
Very touching, though I don’t know what “police or other agencies” will do with several dozen soggy teddy bears in this weather. Could Ayla’s father please just tell what he had done to his daughter so we can put an end to this tragic folly? We’d all really appreciate it.
I really hope you’re never selected for jury duty.
i honestly believe that the mother did it…every time she goes without an article for a couple of days shes says something to get herself back in the news
Jerry Perdomo disappearance took about a week to solve. A toddler girl goes missing from a house full of drug using adults – still working on it… AMAZING.
That’s because the drug addicts decided to keep their pact of silence. Guessing Porter didn’t make one of those with his girlfriend.
I never understood the value of “vigils”. It is almost laughable when there is a candlelight vigil for some intellectually challenged individual who chose to visit North Korea, or Iran, and gets locked up. As though their government cares what a few Americans with candles feel about the situation. As for the local vigils, if you think the police are slacking in their work write a letter to the editor. That will do as much to keep their feet to the heat.