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Benches in Carroll County honor Delphi teens, Flora girls

Posted at 10:41 PM, May 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-17 14:28:29-04

CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. – The lives of six girls were honored in Carroll County Tuesday night by a local Girl Scouts troop who dedicated a several benches in their memory.

The benches placed outside of Carroll Elementary School, were in memory of four girls killed in a Flora house fire, which police believe was intentionally set, in November 2016 – Kionne Welch, Kerrielle McDonald, Keyara Phillips and Keyana Davis.

The benches also honored the two teens murdered in Delphi in February – Abigail Williams and Liberty German.

As both crimes remain unsolved, Girls Scout Troop No. 198 and community members collected more than 2,200 pounds of small bottle caps and other recyclable materials to help make the project possible.

RELATEDCommunity, first responders coping with grief after four sisters killed in Carroll County fire | Fire that killed four sisters ruled intentional, no suspects | Investigators: Fire that killed four Carroll Co. sisters started in kitchen | Community mourns together following deaths of four young sisters in Monday morning fire

“I collected about 40 and there were newspapers that were sent out to our classrooms,” said Aria Wooden, a fourth-grade student.

The materials were sent to a company that melted them down and created the benches.

Gaylin Rose, the mother of the four girls killed in the fire, said she continues to grieve.

"I'm angry. They took four lives,” she said. “I'm never going to stop fighting. I will always fight for my babies.”

Glenna Meyers, German’s sister, said she was happy to see the benches go up.

“She was more than a sister to me, she was like a best friend,” said Meyers. “I wish that my sister was alive because then this wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't have cried the whole time. It just saddened me."

 

The community collected so many bottle caps they have leftovers and plan to build three to five more benches to place around the school.

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