A somber gathering took place on the basketball court at Hawthorne Elementary School as the Middle River community came together to remember 11-year-old London. Balloons and candles on the court, a poignant tribute to the young girl whose life was tragically cut short.

Residents, friends and classmates attended the vigil, expressing their disbelief and heartache over London’s death. Indya Streams, a community resident, said, “It was just really disheartening, unexpected.” She described London as “a nice little girl, very well kept, very soft spoken, just innocent all around. And it’s really sad what happened to her.”

Among those present was 11-year-old Tylen, a schoolmate and friend of London, who stood silently with his mother as the candles flickered in the cold breeze. Tylen said, “She was nice, very nice,” adding, “She was the greatest friend that I ever had in school. Like, when I first came to this school, she was the first friend to ever talk to me, for real.”

Tylen’s mother, Teeandra Jones, shared her son’s grief, saying, “Tylen did not take this well.” She added, “They [shed] a light on each other. And, yeah, she was a good friend. I’ll say she was a good friend to my son because he showed it. And he was adamant to be here and I’m going to stand behind him all the way.”

The community’s sorrow was compounded by the news that Baltimore County police found London’s body in her family home on Firethorn Road on Thursday. Her mother, 34-year-old Keyona Dillon, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with her daughter’s death.

Sharon Pinkerton, another resident, attended the vigil, saying, “I’m a mom. I mean, I don’t know their situation and stuff, but it’s just, it’s something just, I think it’s hitting a lot of people.”

Indya Streams echoed the sentiment, questioning, “How could you do that? How could you take your own child? I just don’t understand. It’s really no words, it’s just heartbreaking.”

A letter from another student lay on the ground, reading in part, “Hey London, I know what happened to you was very sad, but now you are in a better place,” ending with “LLL,” for Long Live London.

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