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WEST VALLEY CITY — A neighborhood came together to help the family of a 12-year-old girl found murdered as well as the family of the teenage boy accused of the crime.
Police said the teen convinced Kailey Vijil, of West Valley City, to come out of her home on midnight Friday and then killed her.
Both families live in the same neighborhood.
Neighbor David Gomez can't make sense of what happened.
"Everyone thinks it happens in somebody else's neighborhood," he said.
Gomez said he does know that two families in the neighborhood are grieving.
"When it happens close to you, you really become emotionally involved," said Gomez.
Gomez wanted the mother of 12-year-old Kailey to know they are there for her.
"I typed up a letter and just told her the neighbors are all praying in support of her," Gomez said.
Gomez lives two doors away from the Vijil family, who moved into their home less than a year ago. He and other neighbors dropped off meals for the Vijils. They also took food to the family of the 15-year-old boy in police custody, too.
"She's a single parent. She needs a lot of support, and we're showing her love and support also," Gomez said.
Doug Harris is the family's bishop from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"We're spent significant time with them," Harris said. "They're torn apart."
He said the teen's mother is staying with a friend right now, and that he talked with her when she stopped by the house Saturday.
"They're trying to process right now," he said.
She wants her to know that her heart's going out to her, her prayers are going out to her, and she knows her process is going to be a lot more difficult than what she has been dealing with.
–David Gomez
Neighbors said Vijil's mother is thinking of the boy's mother, too.
Saturday afternoon she told Gomez to share a message from one mother to another.
"She holds no malice or problems with the mother of the young man that's the suspect," Gomez said. "She wants her to know that her heart's going out to her, her prayers are going out to her, and she knows her process is going to be a lot more difficult than what she has been dealing with."
As a show of support, neighbors said a vigil will be held at the West Valley City Park at 3500 South and 4500 West Sunday night at 8 o'clock.
Neighbors said they will release balloons in Kailey's favorite color: purple.
A fund has also been set up at Granite Credit Union under Kailey's name.
