Enough is Enough
Emotional vigil held at Dunbar Park to honor Renesmay Eutsey
Dunbar Park was filled Saturday night with people, emotions, and bubbles.
It was all part of a candlelight vigil to honor Renesmay Eutsey, the 9-year-old-Dunbar girl found dead Thursday. This vigil came on the heels of one held Friday night at Franklin Memorial Methodist Church in Dunbar.
“Now, it’s time to get angry,” said Ebony Floyd, organizer of the event. “Why didn’t anybody notice? This is not something that happened over night. Everybody failed that girl. Enough is enough.”
The South Connellsville resident admitted she did not even know Eutsey but felt she had to hold this vigil which was attended by hundreds of people.
“I would hope that if something happened to one of my children that we would have the community come together,” Floyd said. “Never let anyone forget her. I would hope this brings awareness. When you’re walking around, you’re not just looking at your kids, you’re looking at your friends’ kids and we’re checking in on these kids and we’re not just making sure our kids are safe, but your kids are safe”
Along with anger, sadness poured through the crowd as they remembered a girl whose favorite colors were pink and purple and loved strawberry ice cream cones.
“When I realized who it was, it crushed me,” said Jason Barthlomai, Dunbar Council president. “It’s one of the worst things I know of to happen in this town. Now, we move forward. We remember Renesmay. We remember all of the good things about her and help that to drive us forward and she’ll never be forgotten.”
Jessica Richter of Dunbar called upon elected officials to do what is necessary to make sure all children are safe.
“Without proper laws, thousands of children will continue to slip through the cracks of the current system,” she said. “We the community of concerned parents ask for the changes necessary to prevent another tragic event from occurring.”
Bubbles floated through the air throughout the vigil. Floyd said it helped create a youthful, playful atmosphere.
“When you think of kids, you think of bubbles and playgrounds and balloons and beautiful flowers,” Floyd said. “We just wanted to represent youth.”
One person who spoke with emotion was Mike Aubele, Fayette County district attorney.
“One of the unfortunate parts of my job is that a lot of times I have to deal with something like this,” Aubele said. “We wonder why something like this happens to a child. I don’t have any answers for you, but what I can provide is investigation and consequences. This little girl means a lot to me and means a lot to everybody who I work with. It shows us why we do what we do. We can never unsee what we saw Thursday morning. I know it’s hard to understand sometimes why things take time. I appreciate everybody’s patience. This is going to be a very long process. But today, let’s remember Renesmay.”
Charges have been filed against Sarah Ann Shipley, 35, of Dunbar Township, and her partner Kourtney Eutsey, 31, Renesmay’s adoptive mother, who allegedly conspired to assault and kill the girl. The charges were filed against Shipley Friday, something Aubele said was eventually going to happen, but out of an abundance of caution wanted to take time before filing the charges.
“It’s uncomfortable that she was out and not charged for two days,” Aubele said. “We wanted to build more of a case.”
Shipley is in the hospital after overdosing in her home Friday. Aubele said she will be arranged once she is released.
“We’re essentially babysitting her,” Aubele said. “I would say she’s probably going to milk this one as much as she can, because she knows where she’s going once she gets better.”
Aubele also said he anticipates filing further charges Monday.
“There were four other children in the home,” Aubele said. “There’s a lot of dynamics we’re trying to wrap our heads around. One of these children, I believe, is still in the hospital, showing what I would say are similar signs of physical abuse. There will be additional charges for both of these individuals.”
But for one night all focus was on Eutsey, a little girl who loved mermaids and unicorns and was referred to by Brittany Ober of Dunbar as a “beautiful little girl.”
“She should have been playing, laughing and dreaming about her future,” Ober said, fighting through tears. “Instead her life was stolen at the hands of the people that were supposed to protect her. Her smile was radiant. She deserved safety, love and the joys of childhood. No child should have to suffer in silence like she did.”