WARRENSBURG, Mo. — People gathered Thursday night at a cave in Warrensburg to remember a baby found dead there earlier this month. People in the community did all they could to cover the cave in love, bringing teddy bears and candles.
But they still can’t forget what the area around the cave looked like just a few weeks ago.
Crime tape blocked off the cave where investigators say Latasha Wilson left her newly born son’s lifeless body. Johnson County prosecutors say it’s one of the worst cases they’ve ever seen.
“Never this type of case, certainly never. I’ve never experienced an abandonment of a corpse with it being an infant,” Johnson County, Mo. Prosecutor Lynn Stoppy said.
It’s why Stoppy said she teamed up with community member Dawn Eich for a candlelight vigil.
“I just hope it gives people a sense of closure. So they can move forward,” Eich said.
“This is strictly about honoring that little life, that little baby. No matter how brief his life was. No matter how brief anyone’s life is they deserve honor,” Stoppy said.
But Wilson’s family says they are honoring the little boy and are facing a tremendous amount of grief.
They told FOX 4 on Thursday night:
“We only want people to know the truth. Many headlines are twisting words and making it sound worse than what it is. However, we have tons of support and the people who know us believe the truth and that’s enough,” said a statement from Merindia Wilson, Latasha Wilson’s sister.
The fact remains that Latasha Wilson now faces a charge of abandonment of a corpse, with more possible charges to follow after the toxicology report and autopsy are completed.
But Thursday night vigil attendees say they’re not worried about the truth or the ins and outs of the investigation.
“Johnson County is a great community of caring people that want to come together and honor this little life, however brief it was,” Stoppy said.
