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Community honors 'very special young lady' who was swept away by flash flooding

“Everybody always sees the negative part of St. Louis, but St. Louis showed up, and showed out for my niece,” said Stacey Latimore

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Strangers gathered in the Central West End to show support for a 12-year-old girl taken from her family too soon.

“She was very brilliant,” said Stacey Latimore.

When Stacey Latimore thinks about her great-niece, 12-year-old Aaleyah Carter, she can’t help but smile.

“Aaleyah has a special part in all of our lives,” said Latimore. “She was a very special young lady.”

However, Carter’s life was cut short after she was swept away by floodwaters late Friday night after her mother’s car was swept off the road.

RELATED: Missing girl swept into storm drain by flash flooding found dead in north St. Louis County

“It’s traumatic,” said Latimore. “I don’t really know if I can put it into words.”

Since that time the community has rallied around Aaleyah’s family by holding fundraisers so that her mother can properly mourn.

“It’s about her mental health and being able to take care of her kids going forward,” said Jarmond Dukes. “Who knows when she’ll be able to go back to work after this.”

“Everybody always sees the negative part of St. Louis, but St. Louis showed up, and showed out for my niece,” said Latimore.

That includes Congresswoman Cori Bush who helped in the search for Aaleyah.

Carter’s family is now hoping to work with Bush on legislation that would put protective gates on storm drains and culverts so that no other family has to feel the same pain.

“Trust and believe that Aaleyah’s name is definitely going to move on, but that’s one of our main goals to make sure that this doesn’t happen to any other family,” said Latimore.

If you would like to donate to the family of Aaleyah Carter click here.

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