Hundreds attend funeral for 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan

Monroe -- After funeral services for 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan ended, more than 150 people gathered in Munson Park for another goodbye.

Balloons were released to honor the girl who was found last week on the banks of the River Raisin after she went missing May 24 from her apartment building.

Police continue to investigate, but no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance or death. Her little body was found encased in concrete.

"It has been tough on the community," said Sandy Matson, 36, of Monroe. "I watched the case closely. I wanted to show my support for the family and for Nevaeh."

Matson didn't attend the funeral but felt she needed to pay her respect at the balloon tribute. She brought her 11-year-old son, Kory. She sobbed as the funeral procession drove by them and the crowd of mourners at the park. Matson said she's keeping a tighter rein on her son.

Kory echoed that.

"My family has been keeping a good eye on me, and I am happy they are," he said.

Jim Nagel and his girlfriend Ann Goodridge said they, too, have been keeping tight controls on their children since Nevaeh's disappearance. Their four elementary-aged children can no longer play in the backyard unless an adult is with them. They live less than a mile from where Nevaeh's body was found.

"It makes it worse that we live so close to where she was found," said Jim Nagle, who also attended the balloon releasing. "The kids are not allowed outside unless we are with them. It's pretty sad."

Earlier Saturday, droves of people attended a funeral service at Stewart Road Christian Ministries Center. Three members of VASS Majority, a local music group, performed a song written for Nevaeh with a chorus that concluded: "Because of her, we won't be the same."

Over a thousand people paid their respects to the little girl whose first name is "heaven" spelled backward during her two days of visitation Thursday and Friday.

After the funeral service that lasted just over 2 hours, family members climbed into awaiting vehicles and were escorted to nearby St. Joseph Cemetery by a hearse drawn by a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The procession included more than 100 vehicles and 60 motorcycles, paying tribute to the girl who counted a miniature motorcycle among her favorite toys. Nevaeh's hearse was black and had chrome spoke wheels, matching the motorcycle.

In the rear of the church's parking lot, a white truck had a video screen constantly showing pictures of Nevaeh. People stopped and took pictures of it, using their camera phones.

All week long, grief has built up as neighbors have come to grips with Nevaeh's death. On Tuesday, the body that had been found at the river bank by two fishermen was confirmed to be Nevaeh's.

"I'm just devastated," Diana Lawson, Nevaeh's great-aunt, said on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, relatives thanked the community for its help.

"I want to thank everybody who was with us through the whole ordeal," Nevaeh's uncle, Mike Buchanan, said outside Charlotte Arms Apartments, where Nevaeh lived. "I hope everyone continues to pray for us. We feel a lot of sadness, but at the same time happy because of the help our family got."

This week, police questioned a woman about helping extract a black car from the mud behind bushes near the site where Nevaeh's body was buried.

Two "persons of interest" in the case await parole revocation hearings for having associated with Jennifer Buchanan, Nevaeh's mother, among other violations. The two men, George Kennedy, 39, and Roy Smith, 48, are being held in a Jackson prison. Kennedy had been a friend of Jennifer Buchanan, herself a convicted felon.

As the funeral procession rolled by, 42-year-old Dave Bergman stood still.

"A lot of people are here showing support," he said. He didn't attend the funeral, but just wanted to "honor her memory."

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090613/METRO/906130388/1409/METRO/Hundreds-attend-funeral-for-5-year-old-Monroe-girlMadeleine McCann has become an Icon for Missing Children