I think I will ask God why for the rest of my life and never will I come to understand it. Even if God himself came in front of me and told me the reason, I don’t think I would accept him. Some loves are too hard to bear. But I just want my baby back. Everything just happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Is she a lie? She says no. And then I remember getting to the hospital. And then I saw my baby. I help in a situation like that. You’re supposed to help your children. And I couldn’t help her. This story is not one that is easy to listen to. The account of 2-year-old Lily reveals the dark sides of the custody system and the consequences of inaction when a child needs protection.
I stopped many times while preparing this material trying to gather my strength. If you are a parent, guardian, or simply a person who cares, this story will touch you to the core. It shows not only the personal tragedy of a family, but also systemic problems that can repeat again and again if we don’t learn lessons from what happened to Lily.
I warn you that this video contains graphic materials and descriptions that may be difficult to process. Nevertheless, I ask you to listen to this story until the very end. Lily’s voice needs to be heard by everyone. If you have the opportunity, please share this story on social media by spreading it.
You help protect other children from a similar fate. Sometimes the most important stories are the hardest to tell. Lily story will make you cry, get angry, and question the system that was supposed to protect her. A 2-year-old girl who loved to sing and dance, collect butterflies, and bake cookies with her grandmother became a victim not only of brutal violence, but also of failures in the system designed to protect our children.
We tell you about Lily not to shock you, but to honor the memory of a little girl whose tragic fate may prevent similar stories in the future. This narrative is an act of love and respect for a child whose life was invaluable. In a quiet corner of Michigan, the morning of November 20th, 2010 was ordinary.
Little Lily sat at the kitchen table, her tiny fingers picking out marshmallows from her bowl of Lucky Charms cereal. Across from her sat her grandfather, Chico, his face glowing with warmth and adoration. Their laughter, a symphony of 2-year-old giggles and grandfatherly delight, filled the room with a joy that seemed indestructible. Nothing suggested that this day would become the last in the short life of a little girl with strawberry blonde hair and an infectious smile.
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Lily Ferno was born on May 14th, 2008. When I first met her, I was just immediately in love. In love? Yeah. Me say it out loud. Kind of sounds small. What’s a bigger feeling than love? Loss. From birth, she became the center of attention for Lauren Ferno, a young 22-year-old mother who loved her daughter at first sight.
Her parents, Frederick Chico and Lynette Ferno, warmly welcomed the baby and offered Lauren and Lily to live with them after the birth. The story of Lauren and Lily’s father, Jeffrey Wolfenbar, began in the summer of 2007 when they met at a campground near Leier, Michigan. Their connection was immediate. According to Lauren, he said all the right words and she believed him, but like many summer romances, it was short-lived.
Nevertheless, during their brief time together, Lauren became pregnant. Jeffree moved on and began dating a woman named Renee King, whom he had known since high school. Renee had three children from previous relationships. Soon after Lily’s birth, Jeffree married Renee, effectively leaving Lauren to raise their daughter alone.
Fortunately, Lily had wonderful support from her grandparents. The girl grew quickly, charming everyone with her expressive brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair. She loved spending time with her grandparents, especially when it came to baking cookies. How you roll it? Roll it. Roll it. Roll it. spectacular. Roll it. Yay. Pat it. Pat it down.
Turn. You pat it. Pat it. No. Watch. Do this. Then you mush it. Look. Mush it. Mush it. Mush it. Mush it. Good. Yeah. Very good. Here. Mush it. Mush that one. Lily’s faith and love for Jesus were simple and pure. Her enthusiasm for attending church was infectious. When she was at home, the living room often became her stage, where she danced and sang along to her favorite TV show, Glee.
Her little voice full of excitement. Now comes my part, she would say, and begin to sing. There’s cool parts. Twirling around the room while the adults watched this innocent happiness with adoration. Lily grew into a curious and joyful child. What do you say? Open up. Ah, papa. What? Paper, child. Here you go, beautiful girl.
Open up. lean back. She collected flowers in the garden, chased butterflies, and found beauty in the smallest details of the surrounding world. When it rained, she would run to the window, pointing at raindrops sliding down the glass, deciding which one would win the race to the window sill. One, two, buckle buckle. My Hey, Lily.
Are you seeing all the single ladies? All the single ladies. See you on the hay ride. I single ladies. I can’t. Honey, we’re outside. Shh. I just put my hand up in the just Thanks. Do it again. In here. closet and then in the early days after Lily’s birth, Jeffree did spend time with his daughter during visitations and appeared to enjoy being a father.
Photos show him playing with Lily and smiling. However, as his relationship with Renee deepened and they married, his attention gradually shifted away from his daughter. During Lily’s visits, he increasingly delegated her care to Renee while he was at work or busy with other activities. While Jeffrey’s interest in fatherhood seemed to wne, Lily found unexpected love and warmth in the family of her paternal grandparents.
When the girl stayed with them, they did everything to fill the void left by their increasingly detached son. Jeffrey’s parents gladly took on the role of caring grandparents. They created a special corner for Lily in their home with shelves filled with children’s books and toys. Their home was often filled with laughter when Lily visited.
Say I love you more. A you beat me. Grandfather taught her to catch small butterflies and ladybugs in the garden, carefully holding them in cuped hands before letting them go. “We felt so good just being around her,” recalled the paternal grandfather. Grandmother prepared special oatmeal with maple syrup for Lily every morning, which the girl loved to eat before running out to play in the yard.
In many ways, Jeffrey’s parents tried to compensate for what their son could not or would not give his daughter. For them, Lily was a precious gift, a ray of light, and they would do anything to make her feel loved. If the decision had been left to the Wolfenberger family, they might have taken custody of their granddaughter to provide her with the happy life she deserved. I love you. You love me.
We’re a happy. So you say you love me. you. Despite the joyful moments Lily experienced with her paternal grandparents, her life had been shaped by a harsh custody arrangement from the very beginning. The custody troubles started when she was just 3 months old. Judge Michael Higgins issued a ruling for joint custody that shocked everyone involved.
Lily was to spend three days with her father and four with her mother, despite expert conclusions that such frequent transitions were harmful for an infant. The judge’s words to Lauren stunned even experienced lawyers. You should have adopted a child without a father. You had a child with this man and you’re desperate. Get used to it. Fearing she might lose her daughter completely, Lauren complied.
Despite all the difficulties associated with this decision, she did everything possible to ensure Lily’s life was filled with joy and love. Where’s your baby? Is she sleeping? He beats me up all the time. Love you. Night night, baby girl. Jeffrey and Rene’s home was very different from the loving atmosphere Lily knew at her mother’s.
Their relationship was unstable, full of conflicts. When Lily visited, she rarely saw her father. Most of the time, she was cared for by Renee, who already had three children of her own and increasingly resented having to look after someone else’s child while Jeffree was at work. In March 2010, Renee consulted a specialist about severe back pain.
An MRI showed a bulging disc and she was prescribed strong painkillers. Over the weeks, Renee found it increasingly difficult to care for the children and began taking more medication to cope with the stress of a troubled marriage and physical pain. Around the same time, Lauren and her parents began noticing worrying signs. Lily increasingly resisted going to her father’s and often cried, saying, “I don’t want to go.
stream. This is the way. Are you going to see it again? What’s your puppy’s name? What’s your puppy’s name? What’s up? What’s your puppy’s name? This is a puppy’s name, Tessa. In April 2010, Lily returned from her father’s home with a burn on the back of her neck just below the hairline. Lauren and her parents suspected it looked like a cigarette burn, knowing that Jeffrey
and Renee smoked. When questioned about it, they explained it as an accident. But deep inside, Lauren knew something wasn’t right at Lily’s father’s house, though she couldn’t prove it. So, Lauren began documenting Lily’s injuries with photographs. When Lily was asked what had happened, she would simply say she fell.
It eventually reached the point where every time Lily returned from her father’s, she had new injuries. “I don’t want to go to knee,” Lily cried, using her childish nickname for Renee. These words broke Lauren’s heart, but the custody arrangement required her to send her daughter. Lauren sent photos of Lily’s injuries to Jeffrey, asking what was happening.
He explained it away as Lily’s clumsiness, tendency for tantrums, claiming the injuries were the result of accidents and her own falls during fits. Behind the scenes, Jeffree and Rene’s relationship was in complete disarray. On October 6th, 2010, they separated. 2 days later, Renee filed for a protection order against Jeffree, and a few days after that, Jeffree filed for divorce.
But their breakup didn’t last long. They reconciled that same month and stayed together. Although their relationship remained extremely unstable. Another alarming signal was that Rene’s mother removed her grandchildren from her daughter’s home. She was concerned about Rene’s ability to care for them. This was another blow, pushing Renee closer to the edge.
Her marriage was falling apart. She was abusing painkillers. She resented having to care for Lily. And now her own children were gone. On October 28th, Renee told her doctor Tammy Davik that she was very tired and stressed. She also reported instances of falling because her right leg would give out. On November 12th, Renee went to the emergency room complaining of falls and back pain. The emergency physician, Dr.
Glenn Dong, concluded that Renee had no neurological deficit related to her back pain. Meanwhile, the investigator hired by Lauren and her parents sent evidence of Lily’s injuries to Lauren’s attorney, hoping it would be enough to file a petition for full custody of Lily. But her attorney was concerned, remembering how Judge Higgins had treated Lauren during the initial hearings.
The attorney feared that photographs of injuries wouldn’t be enough to prove they were intentionally inflicted by Renee or Jeffrey, and that Judge Higgins might retaliate, possibly even taking away Lauren’s custody of her daughter. Lauren wanted to contact authorities, but was afraid of losing Lily. She felt helpless, unable to protect her daughter.
She was a young mother who had never faced such a situation before. Her parents also had no experience with such matters. Their cries for help fell on deaf and hardened ears. In later interviews, Lauren’s attorney, devastated by what happened to Lily, stated, “It was difficult to know what was happening in the Wolfenberger King house.
You can’t just go to court with rumors and speculation.” Leier County Prosecutor Byron Kena later commented on Lily’s case, saying, “If you can’t show cause and prove who is inflicting injuries on a child, there is risk in the courts. Bumps and bruises can be explained away.” The investigator was furious that there seemed to be no help for Lily and at one point asked Lauren’s attorney, “When will we have enough evidence? When she’s lying in a coffin?” These questions became an ominous foreshadowing of the tragedy to come. If this story has touched you as
much as it has touched me, please share it on your social media. Perhaps it will help someone notice signs of child abuse and intervene in time. A simple repost could save someone’s life. On Friday, November 19th, Lauren put aside her fears and decided to take Lily to a pediatrician so a professional could examine her injuries.
Unfortunately, the office was closed. Lauren was upset. She wanted Lily to be examined before she had to send her to her father on Saturday. She decided to take Lily to the doctor on Monday. Tormented by worry about Lily’s upcoming visit to her father’s house. That night, Lauren and her parents let Lily help decorate the Christmas tree, which they had set up early.
Lily was overflowing with joy, admiring the ornaments each time she hung a new one. After they finished, Lauren dressed Lily in a beautiful Christmas dress and took photos of her daughter in front of the magnificent tree. Later that night, Lily and Lauren watched Toy Story 3. Lily fell asleep lying on her mother. Lauren remembers thinking at that moment how happy she was to have such a perfect daughter.
Lauren woke up on the morning of November 20th with a sense of anxiety and fear. She needed to take Lily and hand her over to Jeffrey as dictated by the custody agreement. The journey was heartbreaking. Lily cried and said, “I don’t want to go to Daddy and Nay’s house.” Lauren promised Lily that the day would come when she wouldn’t have to go there anymore.
Driving past a field covered with the first snow, Lauren tried to distract Lily with promises. Soon we’ll go to Splash Village when it snows as we promised. And you know what? Barney will come to your third birthday. These promises of a future that will never come sound especially painful now. Someone told me you may not have got to spend the rest of your life with them.
They will just spare you with you. Happy birthday. Burn a hug. Get hugs. I love you so much. I got you a present. Give Barney a hug. Mama will too. Yay. Okay, let’s go. Y would you just sing happy birthday? Would you sing with me? Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy
birthday, dear Liy. Happy birthday to you. Yay, Lily. When they arrived at the meeting place in the parking lot of a restaurant in Kapac, Lily was crying as she was handed to her father, her tiny hands desperately reaching for the comforting embrace of her mother. Tears streamed down Lauren’s face as she turned away, her heart breaking with each step.
This weekly ritual of separation was a shared fear for mother and daughter. But neither could have imagined that this would be the last time they would see each other. At 9:45 in the morning, Jeffree took Lily to Renee and left for work. Renee and Lily were left alone as Rene’s biological children no longer lived in the home.
Around noon, Renee told Jeffree during a phone conversation that Lily was throwing a tantrum. At this time, Renee had a toxic amount of pain medication in her system. Shortly after 2:00, Renee called 911 and reported that Lily wasn’t breathing. The dispatcher gave instructions on performing CPR while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
First responders found Lily unconscious on the floor. She was urgently taken to the hospital where staff noticed injuries on her forehead and behind her left ear. Despite all the efforts of medical personnel, Lily could not be revived. She was pronounced dead at 3:27 in the afternoon on November 20th, 2010.
The call from Jeffree caught Lauren at a Walmart store where she was shopping for Christmas gifts. Her parents had just arrived at their cabin 3 hours away and had sent her a message with a photo of a 3-foot princess Christmas stocking, suggesting she start buying small gifts for it. Lauren was browsing the Christmas souvenir section at 3001 when she saw Lily’s father calling.
She answered and he told her to go immediately to Make General Hospital as there had been an accident and Renee had fallen on Lily in the shower. Lauren asked if her daughter was all right, and he said he didn’t know that she just needed to come as quickly as possible. Lauren left her cart and walked quickly to her car, thinking, “That’s it.
She’s not going back.” She assumed it was a broken arm or leg. She called her mom, who told her to meet her uncle at the house, so he could drive her. They were already on their way. Lauren drove up to her house, got into the passenger seat. Her cousin and uncle jumped in the car and they drove off.
Her uncle drove as fast as he could trying to reach the hospital, but it was rush hour. Jeffree kept calling asking, “Where are you?” Lauren responded that she was trying to get there as fast as possible. But the hospital was an hour and a half away without traffic. She asked if Lily was okay, and he hung up. This happened several more times until she called the hospital directly.
Lauren asked the nurse about Lily’s condition and heard words she would never forget. I wouldn’t tell you this over the phone, but you need to come. It’s bad. She’s been with the doctors for an hour, and she has no pulse. Lauren didn’t remember the rest of the journey. She only remembered asking her 14-year-old cousin to call everyone and ask them to pray.
Later, she bitterly regretted placing such a heavy responsibility on a child’s shoulders. When they arrived at the emergency room, Lauren’s uncle had to move the car. Jeffrey was standing outside smoking when Lauren opened the door. Her knees buckled and she couldn’t stand. She asked him if Lily was okay and he said no.
She asked if Lily was alive and he answered no. At that moment, Lauren’s world collapsed. Later, when the detective came, she asked Lauren what underwear Lily was wearing and if she had helped her daughter in the bathroom that morning. Lauren confirmed that she had and the detective asked if there was blood. Lauren said no.
Lauren’s mother asked why such questions were being asked. The detective revealed the shocking truth. Lily had suffered brutal sexual assault before her death. Lauren and her family returned home that night and sat for a long time in the car. How do you enter a house that will never again be filled with your daughter’s laughter? How do you live when all hopes and dreams are taken away? It was supposed to be just 33 hours of separation, but it became an eternity.
At first, Renee claimed it was an accident. She stated that her knee gave out while she was bathing Lily and she fell on the child. Then trying to find help, she was carrying Lily and dropped her again. However, the medical examination and subsequent investigation quickly disproved this version. Medical examiner Dr.
Daniel Spitz ruled Lily’s death a homicide. She had suffered at least 20 blows to the head area, five of which were traumatic and could have caused her death. Two major areas on the back and left side of her head appeared to be clusters of impacts from blows. The expert noted that such injuries were comparable to those in a car accident in terms of impact force.
Additionally, it was determined that some object had been used for brutal sexual assault on the girl, causing tissue tears. The time of death was established between 3:30 and 4:00 in the afternoon on November 20th, 2010. After the medical examiner’s conclusion, it became obvious to investigators that this was not an accident.
Renee became the main suspect as she was alone with Lily when the girl received fatal injuries. According to reports, Renee gave inconsistent statements to police and cleaned up the scene before calling 911. Renee King was arrested on the same day that Lily tragically died on November 20th, 2010. Jeffrey initially defended Renee, saying he believed her story about accidentally falling on Lily and mentioning that she had previously sought medical help for numbness in her arm and leg.
He also said that Renee was hysterical when Lily wouldn’t regain consciousness and tried to revive her by splashing water on her face. He insisted, “I know that Renee would never harm any of her children.” Interestingly, he said specifically, “Her children, not children or Lily,” which was later noted as a telling slip of the tongue.
Renee was not granted bail, but begged the judge to allow her to attend Lily’s funeral. Be able to see my kids and my husband and be there with him through this hard time tomorrow. It’s my stepdaughter’s burial, and I don’t even get to be there. And I’m accused of doing something that I never would have done. The judge denied this request.
Make County Prosecutor Eric Smith told reporters she is charged with murdering this child. The last thing we will allow is for someone accused of murdering anyone, let alone a 2-year-old child to attend their funeral. That’s not going to happen. This child was 2 years old. not only died as a result of blunt force trauma, but also suffered severe vaginal trauma immediately preceding her death.
Before we continue the story of Renee King’s trial, I ask you to take a moment to reflect. If you found this story important, please share it with friends on WhatsApp, Facebook, or other social networks. The more people who learn about such stories, the higher the chance that we can prevent similar tragedies in the future.
A simple repost could literally save a child’s life. Renee King’s trial began in February 2012, about a year and a half after Lily’s death. She was charged with three serious crimes: felony murder, firstderee child abuse, and firstderee criminal sexual conduct. During the trial, there was a notable incident between Jeffrey and Laurens’s brother, Michael.
When Jeffrey entered the courtroom and saw Lauren’s brother glaring at him, he asked, “Do you have a problem with me?” Michael responded by showing him the middle finger. Jeffrey lunged at Michael, knocking down an elderly woman with a cane who fell onto one of the benches. Jeffrey was charged with aggravated assault and disturbing the peace.
In a plea agreement, he plead guilty to disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days. He was given only a $430 fine. This incident vividly demonstrated his volatile temper and confirmed Lauren’s fears that he could not provide a safe environment for their daughter. At the beginning of the trial, Jeffree stated that he did not prejudge his wife because he saw nothing.
However, as the trial revealed shocking details of what happened, he changed his mind, filing for divorce from Renee and declaring, “She is dead to me now. Your selfish actions on November 20th, 2010 are unthinkable, disturbing, and to say the least, sick.” Your honor, I left this up to Faith Lily and I ask you not to have any remorse for Renee King when you sentence her as she had no remorse for murdering my daughter.
The trial lasted 2 weeks and contained heart-wrenching testimony from medical experts and investigators. Medical examiner Dr. Daniel Spitz described in detail Lily’s numerous injuries and explained to the jury that their nature ruled out the possibility of an accident. He compared the force of the blows received by the child to impacts in a car accident.
The details of assault were so graphic that some jurors needed breaks to compose themselves. Prosecution witnesses included investigators who documented inconsistencies in Rene’s statements and pointed to evidence that she had tried to conceal traces of the crime before calling for help. Rene’s defense was based on the claim that her knee really did give out and the injuries were the result of an accident.
However, their arguments were completely refuted by forensic experts and medical evidence. The jury needed only 2 hours to reach a decision. On February 4th, 2012, Renee King was found guilty on all counts. Her sentence automatically meant life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Later, she appealed her conviction, but the appeals court rejected this attempt.
Renee King will spend the rest of her life in prison for what she did to Lily Ferno. After the public learned about Lily’s murder, people were outraged upon hearing about Judge Higgins behavior during the initial custody hearings. More than 30 people lined the sidewalks around the Leier County courthouse, calling for the judge to resign from the county’s family court bench.
In a written statement, Lauren’s mother, Lynette, declared, “Judge Higgins has an obvious bias against single mothers. His court is conducted in a manner that many attorneys and citizens in Leier County call Higgins Law. During custody hearings in his courtroom, he treated Lauren in a humiliating and disrespectful manner.
In January 2011, Lauren filed a three-page complaint with Michigan’s Judicial Tenure Commission, JTC, claiming that the judge had ignored the Child Custody Act, granting in home visitation rights to her then infant daughter’s father. 4 months later, the commission ruled that there is no basis for commencing formal disciplinary proceedings.
According to the American Judicature Society, without a recommendation from the JTC to the Supreme Court, there are only two other ways to remove a sitting judge from office other than not reelecting them. One is to impeach them by a majority vote of the House of Representatives and convict them by a twothirds vote of the Senate.
The other is for the governor to remove them following a concurrent resolution of twothirds of the members of both houses of the legislature. Essentially, it’s nearly impossible. That’s why such judges rule with reckless impunity. They know they are unlikely to ever be held accountable. One of the protesters said if he had any conscience at all, he would resign.
According to news reports, Higgins was supposed to retire in 2013, but instead agreed to take on part of the case load from another judge accused of five counts of embezzlement. According to the article, Higgins worked 2 days a week dividing his time between the circuit and district courts.
Lauren also filed a civil lawsuit against Jeffrey Wolfenberger. The lawsuit alleged that Renee and Jeffrey were responsible for Lily’s death and that Jeffree failed in his legal duty as a parent by leaving Lily in Rene’s care, knowing she was prone to violence and regularly used drugs. The lawsuit also stated that Jeffree regularly obtained drugs from his then wife Renee.
Lauren sought damages in excess of $25,000, but no additional information about the outcome of this case could be found. After the tragic loss of her daughter, Lauren’s world was consumed by grief and disbelief. She experienced not only the loss of a child, but also the realization that the system that should have protected Lily failed her at every level.
In her deepest sorrow, Lauren found that she drew strength from her faith, the very faith that Lily had so openly and joyfully embraced. Although it was only a small comfort in the face of crushing loss, faith gave her the courage to face each new day, Lauren realized that Lily’s story, though tragic, could serve as a powerful incentive to prevent similar tragedies that might befall other innocent children.
Determined to honor her daughter’s memory, she vowed to help others in Lily’s name. She became an advocate for child safety, spreading awareness and sharing her story in hopes of saving innocent lives. Lauren founded the Justice for Lily Foundation to combat child abuse. The organization raised more than $35,000 for advocacy groups helping children at risk.
She also appeared on Dr. Phil’s show and in other media to raise awareness about joint custody issues and child safety. In one of her posts on the anniversary of the tragedy, Lauren wrote, “It was supposed to be just 33 hours, not a lifetime. To this day, I hate when my parents go somewhere far away because I’m afraid something will happen.
To this day, I cannot go into that aisle at Walmart. To this day, I cannot wake up on November 20th and not replay every terrible moment. I miss you, Lily, to infinity and beyond, always and forever. And I will never stop fighting for you. Experts in child abuse cases say the system can be dangerous, but urge anyone who suspects abuse to contact the appropriate authorities.
Despite the fear that may be associated with reporting suspicions, silence can have tragic consequences. Lauren often repeats, “I want people to know her face. This is not just a statistic.” She wants people to remember Lily not as a victim, but as a bright, loving girl who adored princesses, loved to sing and dance, help bake cookies, and collect butterflies in the garden.
I remember getting up in the middle of the night on November 19th and just staring at Lily, which wasn’t anything new. I just stare at her and thank God that he gave her to me and just pray that things would turn out for the best. And I can remember thinking I was the luckiest mom in the world because he chose me to be her mom.
And then I woke up and it was time to take her to a dance. We did our normal schedule which she knew and she ate lucky charms through papa and she just cried as I got her dress and said mine please no and I told her that I was sorry papa put out her favorite song I want a hippopotamus for Christmas and we played it over and over all the way there and then I remember getting to the gas station where we met him and we got out of the car and walked our way and I alerted her.
She said, “Please, mommy, please no.” And I looked at her and I said, “I’m sorry, baby. I promise there won’t be a day that you don’t have to go.” She just held on to me and I kissed her. Then I handed her over, held her there for a second, which was weird cuz usually you just walked away. Then he let her come back to me to give me one more hug.
I said, “I love you, baby. Let’s see you tomorrow.” And he walked away. She was crying. I’m going to change my mind back to me cuz I think about them every day. I failed her because she wanted to stay with me and I made her go. But I knew that if I didn’t have to stay with her forever, then she would have me went about my day.
And mom and dad stopped up on our on the way up. And I remember calling Lauren and sending her a picture of a 3-ft stocking and said, “Start buying stocking stuffers because you have a big one to fill.” And then I went to Walmart. And that was in the stocking stuffer aisle. And I looked down at my phone and he was calling her father and I thought, “What could he be calling about?” and I picked it up and he said, “There’s been an accident to get to the Nicole Hospital right away.
” And I said, “What happened?” And he said, “Rene fell on Lily. Just get to the hospital.” So I left my cart and and he just come out. So I left my cart and I ran out to my car and I thought, “She’s not going back. I’m not I’m done. It’s a broken arm or a broken leg. I’m done doing this.” So, I called my mom and she said to get home that Uncle Chris would drive her drive me and uh pulled in their driveway.
He pulled in right behind me and I just jumped into the passenger seat and then I we left and I can remember him going like felt like 100 miles an hour and Jeff just kept calling kept saying where are you and it was rush hour traffic and I couldn’t get there fast enough and he just kept hanging up. Every time I’d ask how she was, he’d hang up.
And then I called the hospital and I said, “I’m Lily’s mom. She’s there and her dad’s not giving me any information.” I said, “Please tell me what’s going on.” She put me on hold for a second. She got back on the phone and she said, “Get here as fast as you can. They’ve been back there for an hour. She has no pul.” Then she just couldn’t get her stuff.
I knew that if I could hold her and her was okay that she would wake up and I knew this was so hard when we got to the hospital and he was standing outside and I got out and my knees gave out and said, “Is she okay? And he said, “No.” I said, “Is she alive?” He said, “No.” And I just fell. My world fell.
My baby was gone. They took me to a back room. And his parents were in there. They didn’t know yet. So, I had to tell them the people that could have saved her. and I tell them that she was gone to them to say something and they did it. And now she was gone. I was playing basketball with my friend Dewey and I got home, took a shower, looked at my phone on Miss Call. And I got a text from my mom.
I said, “Call me. Emergency.” I called her. She said, “There’s been an accident. Lily’s hurt.” I said, “All right, I’m on my way home.” And she I waited for her to say, “No, just give Lauren a call. Let her know you’re thinking of her.” She didn’t say that. That’s how I knew it was bad. 5 minutes later, Michael ran in, opened the door of the store, said something like, “There was an accident while I was in the hospital. I’m going home.
” And he was gone that fast. And I kind of just stood there in shock. And um finally somebody one of my coworkers s like do you need to go like you can leave. So I called him and I said turn around and come get me. I’m going to go home with you. So driving 85 home trying not to get a ticket but trying to get to Lauren’s bike.
And then she called and said that she was gone. got to Davidson on 69 and she calls me very calm, says Michael pull over. I told her no. You have to pull over. So I pulled over. I said, “Is she alive?” She says, “No.” Stephanie wants to switch spots. She drives. I get out of the car, fall to the ground in 69, get back up and start beating the car out of anger.
And then I remember getting to the hospital and then I saw my baby. I help in a situation like that cuz you’re supposed to help your children. and I couldn’t help her. And I can remember the detective coming in and saying, “What clothes was she wearing? Did she go to the bathroom that morning? Did you wipe her? Was there blood?” My mom looked at her and said, “Why are you asking these questions?” And she said, “Because Lily was severely sexually abused right before she died.
It was the worst day of my life. I lost my first princess. I remember the look on Lauren’s face. It was like every bit of life was taken out of her. From that day forward, my little brother’s family would never be the same. The next day, we went over to Chico’s and Lauren was lifeless. Her body was like a ragd doll.
She could hardly stand. She had no energy left in her. My little brother Chico, he was lost. Tears were in his eyes. I hugged him and said, “We will get through this.” He said, “I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do. I’ve always been able to ease my children’s pain and take it away, but this I can’t.” Um, I was picking my daughter up from a friend’s house in the pier and I got the call and actually went to voicemail and then I got the voice message.
It was Casey calling saying there been an accident. So, I called back and Casey said to get to the hospital as soon as possible. We got to Dryen Rome and got a call from Aunt Denise and I had to pull over cuz my dad was freaking out and um all I kept saying was she was gone. So, when we walked in um I Lauren and she was crying and so horrible.
Something something no one should ever go through. Uh it was a crazy day. Uh we were I was going to grass and I got a call from Misty stating that Lily was brought to the hospital with no heartbeat and they tore off to the hospital. got there and found my god child just so much grief. I was heartbroken.
It was terrible. Um I’ll never forget as long as I will. And knowing that we were going to have to go home and tell my kids that Lily was gone. My mom asked me to come to the bedroom and she had to tell me something and she told me that there was an accident and Lily passed away and I remember one tear falling down my face and I had to go to my room and I locked myself in my room.
I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I remember I was at work my roommate at the time Dewey called me. He said, uh, Lily had passed away. And he just told me what had happened. And I, at that point, I remember I had to walk away and go into a back room cuz I kind of broke down. Feel like it was a week earlier. She helped my roommates and stuff decorate a Christmas tree at my house.
And then I hear that horrible news. I remember being out to dinner with my family when I received a phone call. about Lily Pepsi. I was at work and I worked at Doll Foster Care Home and we were getting ready for dinner. My mom was working with me that day and I was with a client when she came and told me that Lily was in the hospital.
I remember thinking over and over, please let her be okay. A little while later, the phone rang at work and it was my sister and she was crying. She said, “Erica, Lily’s gone.” At that moment, the words fell silent. My heart just stayed. I felt numb. I called Ted and I told him what happened and he said, “There’s no way.
I just saw Lauren and everything was fine. She was going Christmas shopping for Lily.” When I got home, Ted hugged me and I just cried. I picked up Taylor and I just cried. My heart hurt. You see the stories on the news and think this couldn’t happen to our family. I couldn’t imagine not being able to hold my baby anymore.
I ended up going over to the Ferno’s house, waiting for them to come home. My family was there waiting also. And I can remember getting to the house and just sitting in the car in the garage and our house had people in it. I didn’t want to go in because the one person that made that house home was never coming home.
The moment Lauren walked into the door, she collapsed. What do you say to a parent who lost the love of their life? Nothing. There’s nothing that you could ever say to take that pain away. Tonight took you away from me. Missing you tonight. Let’s see you again. Now I’ll close my eyes. Dream of heaven tonight. Your heart is lovely.
The skies are quen by the memory of you. Rain is a little bit warm. Still seems heaven isn’t all that far. Heaven got another angel tonight. You left this world behind. Heaven got a little better. It was definitely a world one for me. Um, I’d only been dating my girl for about 5 months at the time and I was just starting to get to know this family, my family now.
And um just to see all these people so broken and I always say like that was you know part of the moments when I knew I was never going to escape me now. Every time you hear songs on the radio I relate to them a lot more now. I think you know this is a sad song and it’s hitting me hard. Well, it’s I would have sang this together.
I wish one day before Josh was in the picture that maybe she would ask me to the daddy daughter dance. Another world behind me. Even though I never was officially burning up when she was still here. I wasn’t around for that long. I mean, we can all say our lives changed so much that day. And even me, I’ve only knew her for a little bit.
I’m always missing her. And it’s especially when I’m with my daughter. She shouldn’t be the oldest grandchild. She should have this amazing, vibrant cousin showing her everything and she doesn’t. And it’s not fair. And so, um, you know, my heart really breaks for her cuz she doesn’t even know what she’s missing.
It’s taught me to not take anything for granted, to always, always love your kids every single day because Lauren g everything to have her back. November 20th, 2010. I didn’t just lose my granddaughter. I lost a part of my daughter. I lost a part of my husband. I lost a part of my son. And lost part of my family. Those beautiful back.
What happened changed my life forever. Her story reminds me to love every moment I get with my own children. To hold them and kiss them and read them that extra bedtime story every night. Don’t let the moment slip by. God has a plan for us all. And you never know when that plan is going to end. I don’t get to talk about memories.
Unfortunately, I never meet my daughter. I get to see pictures and watch videos forever. up until spring 2013. Never knew child abuse was real. I mean, you hear stories, but never to never heard about somebody that that you know, I was heartbroken ever since Lauren told me Lily story.
It’s a shamed and unfair how Lauren and I don’t ever get to watch our kids play together with my last You guys watched Toy Story together on the weekend before I left my parents house and I forgot to say I love you by she called me crying. So my sister surprised me and brought her up the next weekend. So I got to say goodbye to her one last time.
I see skies of blue and I see. My favorite memory of Lily was when we were in the car wash and when we got into those spinning things, um she would always like hold on to me or my sister Haley and she would yell, “Help, help.” The Sunday party and stuff that um you guys had had with her and she came over and says, “I got chocolate sundaes.
Do you come have one with me? the chocolate and she used to hop by my back at the movie and we give her a pony ride or a vlog and she’d put together just her dancing cooking with her just remember one time I was holding her and she said and Erica wants this and she blew a piece of Play-Doh out of her nose and we just laughed and laughed.
I remember probably the first time I met her. I uh came home from a came back to school from Grand Blank. I bust through my door at my apartment riding a bicycle into my living room and little girl laid in one of my chairs looking at me like, “Who the heck is this guy?” And uh that was probably one of my favorite memories, just meeting her for the first time.
And she looked at me like I was crazy, but it didn’t seem to phase her. Watching Lil smile and laugh in videos shows what kind of personality she had. It’s crazy how you can love have so much love for someone that you never even met. And then at the funeral, the priest said, “God didn’t do this.” He said, “Evil did this.” Lauren, you have a purpose to go on and save other kids lives. I know you’ll do that.
And that’s what we started justice for Lily. I don’t ever want Lily to not be remembered and Lily not to save lives because of her storm. Lily’s story is not just a tragedy. It’s a call to action. It reminds us of the importance of protecting children, the need to listen to warning signs, and the price we pay when the system fails those it should protect.
Join us in our mission to be a voice for the littlest victims to support our channel and our work. See the description of this video or the pinned comment. There you will find links where you can help support our cause. By sharing Lily’s story, we hope to give a voice to the smallest victims who have lost their own. The message is clear.
We must act now, spread awareness, and work tirelessly to ensure that no innocent life is lost too soon. In doing so, we honor Lily and all children who left this world too early, turning their tragedies into a call for change. Rest in love, beautiful Lily. We will be your voice. Good mommy. Come on, baby. Ready? Come on. Get over here by mommy.
Holy moly. Come here, baby. Come feel the water with mommy. Hold my hand. Hold my hand. We’ll go touch the ocean together. Come on. It’s okay. Woo! No, look at the wings. Sing it, baby. Oh, come out. Singa Jamaica for mama.
Jamaica and down my knees. I want to take you there. I haven’t heard your voice. Say hi. in years. Say, “Look at what I’m doing.” Still has conversations with you. Don’t keep it on every day. Grief hurts. And nothing or no one can replace a loved one who’s gone. It’s an emptiness that doesn’t go away. Okay, people.
Tomorrow morning 10:00 a.m. Santa’s coming to town. Say it. Santa’s coming to town. Santa coming to town. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun. What did Santa bring you? Open sleigh. What did Santa bring you, Li? Congratulations. cup of coffee. George Book. What? George Book. My mom.
How do you say the ABCs? Sing them. A A B C That like that. Keep going. I want to know them all. I don’t know them. Tell me. A B C D E after. Yeah, that’s super letters. Come on. H H R I I That’s my favorite song. Close quote. Is that right there? Hey, tell me the song. A B C D E F G H I K O V R S T U V W X Y Z now my waiting trap
