The body of a 4-year-old was found in a pond Aug. 22 after emergency crews spent hours searching for her in the Turning Leaf neighborhood in Hamilton Township.

The community rallied with an outpouring of support in the form of a vigil Friday night. A crowd of dozens braved the elements to sing songs and offer words of support to show the family of Emerie Schandorf-Woode.

“We’re mourning together and family, when you cry and weep, know that Jesus is near you,” Pastor Mike Newman said.

The rainy weather didn’t stop those who gathered to honor the 4-year-old, many wearing purple and blue — Emerie’s favorite colors.

“This community is just unlike any other community that I can think of,” Hamilton Township police chief Scott Hughes said. “I mean, we’re standing out here in a downpour to show the support to this family, many of which these folks here have never met. But we’re all impacted by her death.”

Emerie will be buried on Saturday, and the community continues to cope with her death.

“I’ll tell you that the last memory for me for this week will be the word love on Emerie’s T-shirt from the image that went viral on Sunday,” Hamilton Township trustee Mark Sousa said. “And how this community is spreading an abundant amount of love to everyone involved.”

HAMILTON TWP., Ohio — After an hours-long search for a missing 4-year-old girl in Hamilton Township on Sunday, authorities discovered her body in a pond near her home, according to Hamilton Twp. Police Chief Scott Hughes.

"Our worst fears came true," he said during a press conference at 8:30 p.m. "Just before 8:00 the dive team and the folks in the boats were scanning around the outside of the pond near where the rocks were and unfortunately they found Emrie's body there in the pond."

Several police and fire agencies from surrounding counties and cities, including the FBI, searched diligently alongside Hamilton Township community members to find the young girl, who was missing for just under eight hours in the Turning Leaf subdivision.

"This, this sucks, right?" said Hughes, fighting tears. "This just sucks. I mean, she was, she was four years old. There's nothing really you can say."

Hamilton Township police said Emrie was last seen around 12:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. At a 4:45 p.m. press conference, Hughes said footage from a security camera showed Emrie walking away from her driveway with no shoes on.

Police said they were told Emrie liked to visit the pond to feed the fish with her parents and suspected she may have headed in that direction after leaving her home.

Hughes said later, they found a witness who spotted Emrie in the area of the neighborhood near the pond around the time she went missing.

"Early, when she first went missing ... we had a couple dogs and the dogs kind of led us up this way," Hughes said.

Officials aren't sure how exactly Emrie died and won't until the coroner's office releases its findings. Throughout the search, Hughes said there was no indication she'd been taken or led away and they didn't suspect foul play played a part in her disappearance or death.

Hughes said the community should be commended for the high turnout and determined efforts during the search, including fire and police from multiple townships, cities and counties in the area.

"This community just came together," he said. "We've gotta keep the family in our thoughts and prayers."

Dozens of neighbors and community members joined the search efforts early on, combing nearby woods and yards and driving through the neighborhoods, calling Emrie's name for hours.

"We've looked, we went through the woods, we looked everywhere we could," said Kaitlin Neumann, one of the many community members who helped with the search. "Like, anywhere you walked you were running into people, everyone was driving."

Sunday evening, Little Miami Schools tweeted about Emrie's death, expressing their condolences for the young girl's family and asking the Panther Nation to lift up her family.

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — What was a frantic search by firefighters and neighbors turned to heartbreak and mourning after first responders pulled the body of a missing 4-year-old from a pond in Hamilton Township. With that grief, family members said Monday they were grateful for their neighbors' efforts.

Less than 24 hours after her body was discovered, neighbors had established a make-shift memorial next to the pond at Turning Leaf, commemorating the life of Emrie Schandorf-Woode, the young girl who went missing Sunday afternoon. Just a few hours later, loved ones' worst fears were confirmed.

"We've been watching on television, and you don't realize that it could happen to anybody," said Emrie's father, Kube Schandorf-Woode, at a news conference Monday afternoon. "I want to tell the community that we saw their love. We felt their love. We appreciate their support. We know nothing will bring Emrie back, but they showed us that we are not alone."

Hamilton Township Police chief Scott Hughes shared the family's emotions during the conference.

"I've been in this job for a long time, and this is, without a doubt, the most tragic press conference I've ever done," he said.

Schandorf-Woode's death has affected neighbors, too, neighbors like Harold Johnson.

"I was hoping to find her hidden somewhere, scared," he told WCPO Monday. "Maybe some of the houses they're building hopefully to walk in and find her just hiding."

Johnson was among the steady stream of neighbors who visited the memorial Monday, dropping off balloons, flowers, candles and stuffed animals. Those with kids around Emrie's age said they're using the tragedy to reinforce safety with their children.

"Trying to teach him about safety and really expose him to this because he needs to kind of learn and understand what's going on," said neighbor, Sophia Strausbaugh.

A family friend has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser in support of Emrie's surviving family.