Safety vigil planned for Nevaeh

MONROE, Mich - Teachers hope to honor the memory of a little girl missing from their classroom this year. A special vigil is planned for Sunday at Riverside Learning Center in Monroe, Mich., to honor Nevaeh Buchanan.

Five-year-old Nevaeh was abducted from the parking lot of her Monroe apartment complex in May. Her body was discovered two weeks later. She was buried under concrete along the River Raisin, just seven miles from her home. Now her teachers hope to prevent other children from suffering the same fate.

"The person that did this to Nevaeh is still out there and hasn't been caught yet. And that's something that put such a fear in the minds of parents in this city," said Karen Herkimer, Riverside Learning Center’s administrator.

Herkimer and other at the school say the vigil will offer more than prayers. Experts will be on hand to provide safety tips to parents to prevent any other children from falling victim. She says that is especially important this close to Halloween.

"It s a fun time and children are going up to strangers houses and we're saying that's okay. Its got to be a bit con fusing for children. Parents need to be going with their kids when they are going trick-or-treating,” said Herkimer. ”It is a fun time of year but yet we have to be cautious at the same time."

The vigil for Nevaeh is on Sunday from 1-3 p.m. at Riverside School. The public in encouraged to attend.

Meanwhile, a $20,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of Nevaeh's murderer. Monroe County detectives say they are working the case every day with help from the FBI but they have not received any new information in quite some time. Anyone who thinks they may have information is asked to call the task force at (734) 457-6713.