NORFOLK, Va. — Loved ones of Angelina Resendiz gathered in her Texas hometown on Monday to honor her memory with a candlelight vigil.
The 21-year-old sailor was reported missing from her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk on May 29, and was found dead days later in Norfolk's Broad Creek neighborhood.
Watch previous coverage: Resendiz' mom accuses Navy of delays, miscommunication in daughter's death
At the vigil, her mother emphasized focusing on positivity as the community moves forward following her daughter's tragic death.
"Because we can't fight negativity with negativity. It just does not work. It never has worked. Love always wins," said Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Castle.
Previous coverage: Mother of Navy Sailor Angelina Resendiz believes she was murdered
They also called for justice, with her former art teacher expressing concern over how her disappearance has been handled: "We have not been told, we've not been informed, and there's a lot of like, why. You know, the fact that that's going on in our military, when our kids choose to serve, that should be the greatest honor, and for them to go in there and get violated. And you know, it's unacceptable."
Those concerns were voiced by Castle and other advocates last week at a press conference when they asserted their belief that the U.S. Navy mishandled Resendiz's disappearance. They accused Navy officials of reportedly marking Resendiz as AWOL and providing misleading information – including allegedly telling Castle that her daughter was “sleeping in her room” while she was missing.
Right now, we are still trying to learn the charges for another sailor charged in connection with her death. A judge recently decided to keep that sailor in confinement.
