Sydney Garcia-Tovar was killed when she was 16, but her heart lives on not only with the girl who received a lifesaving transplant, but with her family, her friends and the Hamilton community that still mourns her.
Sydney was gunned down in July 2018. She was 16. Just this week, police charged Markeylnd Townsend with murder in her death.
"It was very overwhelming," Sydney's sister, Haley Garcia-Tovar said. "I was very emotional."
She said the detectives on the case had been keeping her family informed of developments, but they didn't know exactly when the indictment would come.
Her social media was flooded with comments of supports this week.
"Phase 1 is done. Now we wait," she wrote Wednesday. "Please keep my family in your thoughts as we prepare for this next part."
Despite her age, at 16, Sydney had already graduated high school early. Her sister said she was planning to work for few years then enlist in the Marine Corps.
At Hamilton High School, she was an active member of the ROTC.
News:Arrest made in 2018 slaying of 16-year-old in Butler County
"She was all about it," Haley said. In the meantime, Sydney was working in food service and spending time with her friends.
Shortly before Sydney died, Haley was able to take her to the beach. It's one of her favorite memories of her sister.
"She was having a rough patch and I felt like this trip would take things off her mind and it did," Haley said. "I'm grateful I was able to do that for her. She spent quality time with me and with my son, who she was an awesome aunt to."
The night Sydney was killed, she was giving a few friends a ride, Haley said, and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I never expected to lose my little sister the way I did," she said. "We can only take one day at a time."
Since then, many people have reached out to Haley, both with support and even tips about who might have been responsible.
The baby of the family with two older siblings, Sydney was popular and had a lot of friends – a trait the runs in the family, Haley said.
"I think we're just all a bit too nice, big hearts," she joked.
In the weeks following Sydney's death, Haley got a Facebook message from a family in Kentucky. A young woman had received Sydney's heart as a transplant and she was reaching out.
"We all met up and got to feel her heartbeat in her chest," Haley said. "It was actually a good feeling know that my sister could save somebody's life."
Carter Greene met Sydney when they were both freshmen. He was taking a selfie at a school tailgating party and she jumped into the picture then ran away.
Some social media tagging later, they became fast friends.
"Honestly, she was the best person I've ever known in my whole life," Greene said. "She stood up for me when nobody else did when she hardly knew me."
When he was upset about anything, she was there to pick him up and take off on a long car ride.
"We would just get food and drive and scream our favorite songs at the top of our lungs," Greene said. "Sydney was the realest friend you could've ever had."
They worked hard to graduate early together. Sydney made it, but Greene said he fell a bit short on some test scores. By the time, he walked at graduation, she wasn't there.
He still has a dried rose from her funeral and one of her hoodies.
"I think about her every single day," Greene said. "When she passed away, I really felt a piece of my soul leave with her."
Greene said that the news this week was relieving in a way. He and others, including Sydney's own family, made pleas on social media for years now, begging for people to come forward, he said. But he knows that nothing will bring her back.
"He still took her from us and made her suffer," Greene said. "I don't feel there's any punishment that can make up for the permanent holes he left in all our hearts."
Source link
