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.”

DAYTON, Ohio —

On the two-year anniversary of Dayton’s mass shooting, a vigil was held to remember the many lives lost.

Family and friends of the victims gathered in the city’s Oregon District, the very place where the violence unfolded.

There was a nine-minute moment of silence to honor the nine people who never made it home.

"It's hard standing here it really is," Mike Turner said.

Mike Turner was Logan Turner's father.

The 30-year-old Springboro man was one of the people who never made it home.

"This gets a little bit deeper and deeper, I miss my son dearly, I don't wish this upon anybody," Turner said.

There was sadness, as flowers were placed before a line of wreaths representing the victims.

There was also celebration.

Donita Cosey organized the event alongside her fiance Dion Green.

They were there when Dion's father, Derek Fudge, was gunned down.

"You don't want to be sad all the time, we can't change what took place so all we can do at this point is try to celebrate them," Cosey said.

As music and chatter filled the street, a common pain, united all who attended.

"I want us to lean on each other's shoulders and be here for support," vigil organizer Dion Green said.

The vigil was held by the Fudge Foundation, started by Green in honor of his father.

The foundation supports the families of gun violence victims following death and tragedy.

London’s police department is under scrutiny for the way officers handled some participants at an unofficial vigil Saturday night for a London woman whose death led to murder charges against a fellow officer and spurred a national conversation about violence against women in the U.K.

Hundreds of people disregarded a judge's ruling and police requests by gathering at Clapham Common in honor of Sarah Everard, 33, who last was seen alive near the south London park on March 3. Demonstrators said they wanted to draw attention to the fear and danger many women see as a daily part of British life.

Everard disappeared while walking home from a friend’s apartment at about 10:30 p.m. and was found dead a week later. The slaying sent shockwaves across the U.K. because a Metropolitan Police officer is charged with her kidnapping and murder.

Video of Saturday's informal vigil turned rally showed officers from the same police force tussling with participants as they pushed their way through the crowd. At one point, several male officers grabbed hold of several women and pulled them away in handcuffs to screaming and shouting from onlookers, Britain's Press Association reported.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan decried the police actions.

“The police have a responsibility to enforce COVID laws, but from images I’ve seen it’s clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate,” Khan said on Twitter.

Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted that she had asked the Metropolitan Police for a full report on what happened.

The gathering happened hours after London constable Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared in court for the first time since his arrest in Everard's death. As Metropolitan Police officers approached the Clapham Common bandstand on Saturday evening, boos, jeers and shouts of “Shame on you” came from the crowd, according to the Press Association.

Organizers had hoped to hold “Reclaim the Streets” vigils in Everard’s memory at the south London location and in other U.K. cities on Saturday but canceled the in-person events after a judge refused to grant an order allowing them to go on despite coronavirus restrictions that bar mass gatherings.

Hundreds of people showed up nonetheless. Before police moved in, many participants laid flowers at the park bandstand. Among them was Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who was seen pausing for a moment in front of the sea of flowers.

Other people held signs reading “We will not be silenced” and “She was just walking home,” and the crowd chanted, “Sisters united will never be defeated.”

In the wake of Everard’s disappearance and killing, many women have taken to social media to share their own experiences of being threatened or attacked while walking outside.

A 33-year-old nurse who works in the Clapham area, Mel Clarke, said she felt “very conflicted” about attending Saturday's gathering because of pandemic restrictions, but in the end "just felt that I needed to be here.”

“I’m really pleased that there are a lot of men here. I hope that this is kind of an opportunity for men to learn how women feel, how vulnerable we are," Clarke said. “I hope that this is the start of justice being served for Sarah.”

The Metropolitan Police has expressed shock and horror that one of its own was a suspect in the case. The London police force said Couzens joined its ranks in 2018 and most recently served in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, an armed unit responsible for guarding embassies in the capital and Parliament.

During his court appearance earlier in the day, Couzens stood wearing a gray tracksuit as the charges were read to him. He was remanded into custody and has another appearance scheduled Tuesday at London’s Central Criminal Court.

Everard's body was found hidden in an area of woodland in Kent, more than 50 miles southeast of London, on Wednesday, a week after she went missing. A post-mortem examination is underway, police said Friday.

TV and radio presenter Sandi Toksvig said at the start of a vigil held online Saturday that a “cultural shift about how women are viewed and treated both in the public and private space” was needed.

“I am filled in equal measure with profound sorrow and rage, and I know there are many who share this rage, and I think it is entirely justifiable," Toksvig said. "But I also know that it will harm rather than help us if we don’t try and direct that anger to good purpose.”

SOUTHGATE, Ky. —

Friday marked a grim anniversary for the Greater Cincinnati area. It was 44 years ago when one of the deadliest fires in America claimed the lives of 165 people and injured more than 200 others in the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.

“We started these memorials on the 20th year anniversary at Saint Mary's Church in Alexandria and every five years we continue to do them,” David Brock said.

Brock was a teenager working at the supper club the night of the fire, May 28, 1977. Investigations concluded code violations, limited fire exits faulty wiring and overcrowding played a role in the deadly fire.

“If you lived in northern Kentucky or this tristate area you know where you were at that night,” Brock said.

Brock and many others have questioned the investigation results for years.

“The survivors and family themselves, a lot of people, don't know the truth about what happen that day and that night in May 1977 and that's why we have these memorials to have closure for a lot of the families,” Brock said.

For the past 15 years, the vigil has taken place at the site of the fire. A private developer will now build housing units on the site.

The developer later agreed to include a memorial to the victims.