Family and friends of 3-year-old Malaysia Dantzler gathered Wednesday night to remember her young life which was cut short Saturday afternoon.
Dozens of people blew bubbles and placed lily pads near the area where the toddler’s body was found in a lake at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah.
Her mother, Quannesha Williams, was filled with grief.
“I’m trying,” Williams said. “I’m being strong as I can. I’m being strong as I can.”
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Family members said the toddler, who was non-verbal, was at a birthday party at the park with her godmother when she somehow got away.
Park rangers were alerted and later found Malaysia in the water unresponsive, according to police.
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Investigators said crews performed CPR on the girl and rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Her death was accidental, police said.
“Malaysia, in my world, she was everything,” Williams said.
The mother described her daughter as full of life.
“A ball of energy,” she said.
Family members said the last few days have been painful.
“This is incredibly hard, incredibly hard for all of us,” said Malaysia’s uncle, Nigil Wright.
They’re sharing Malaysia’s story to stress the importance of water safety for children and the adults watching them.
“Kids are gonna be kids,” Wright said. “Kids are gonna be curious. Kids are gonna be adventurous but we have to do our part in making sure that we protect them because they depend on us.”
A GoFundMe was created to assist the family.
