Vigil Held For Two Children & Mother Murdered in Alexander County
TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. – Sunday night, the community came together to remember two children and their mother who were murdered in Alexander County.
Hundreds gathered for a vigil on the courthouse grounds in Taylorsville. Organizers say it was a chance to pray and unite in support of the family.
βThe kids they would come over, play with our kids, parties, they would come to our house,” explains family friend Angela Ferretiz.
She is heartbroken over the loss of 11-year-old Angel Pacheco and his sister 12-year-old America Pacheco.
The children were found dead inside a burnt mobile home on Pine Meadows Lane on June 15th.
βThey were just two great kids that always had such a great spirit around them,” says family friend Kennedy Suastegui.
Crews have been searching the Catawba River for the body of their mother, 38-year-old Maria Calderon.
The Sheriff’s Office believes Calderon’s husband and the children’s stepfather, Areli Avilez, killed the two children.
They say his girlfriend, 16-year-old Heidi Wolfe ran over their mother before her body was dumped in the river.
Parents at the vigil held their kids close.
Organizers say it was a chance for people to lean on each other as they look for a way to process a horrific event.
