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Posted: Saturday, 04 July 2009 6:56PM
Mourners recall Jada with love at her funeral
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PORTAGE, Ind. (STNG) -- After her short life tragically ended in abuse, 2-year-old Jada Justice was laid to rest Friday afternoon, and remembered for what she gave.
At the outdoor funeral at Edmonds and Evans Funeral Home, Jada's father, Clarence Justice of Hammond, Ind., said his daughter provided "two years of nothing but love."
The Portage, Ind., toddler was buried in a small, white casket at Heritage Cemetery, next to the funeral home.
"She gave me the strength to start loving again," her father said after the burial service.
Reported missing last month in a case that gripped the region, Jada was found dead after a massive search effort in which her face was splashed across fliers and on television screens.
Melissa Swiontek, Jada's mother, said at the funeral that it was obvious her daughter touched a lot of lives.
"It's beautiful," Swiontek said of the funeral service, held under a yellow-and-white striped tent. "I'm glad a lot of people came and showed support."
Approximately 300 mourners gathered around as the Rev. Craig Harper conceded the world can be "a cruel place," but offered hope.
"God's with you," said the pastor at Calvary Tabernacle Church of Griffith. "Mom, Dad -- God's with you in this time."
With pink and white balloons and teddy bears brightening up the grounds, Harper said Jada is a vibrant symbol.
"She is a portrait of what love is," Harper assured. "She taught you the power of love."
Elizabeth Justice, Jada's stepmother, said the girl had "a beautiful attitude."
Jada found happiness "playing dress-up," watching movies and "hangin' with the girls," said April Soria, a close friend of Jada and her mother.
"There will never be another person like Jada; she was so original," said Soria, a 28-year-old Lake Station, Ind., resident.
Mourners found comfort in spoken tributes to Jada, which included a spiritual declaration: "You are in God's hands now."
Photographs, a poster and a video screen showed warm images of Jada.
Charged with murdering the girl are her cousin, Engelica Castillo, 18, and Timothy Tkachik, 23, both of Hobart, Ind. They are also charged with neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing.
Jada's body was found June 25 near Otis, along Snyder Road, west of U.S. 421. The girl had numerous fractures on her skull.
Her body had been burned and encased in concrete before being left in a LaPorte County swamp.
Castillo and Tkachik had been baby-sitting Jada. Authorities said the suspects used drugs during that time.
Alejandra Gonzalez, who attended Friday's funeral service, said there was a message in Jada's death.
"You can't really trust your kids with anybody," the 29-year-old East Chicago, Ind., resident said, noting that she knows Jada's father.
"It's just messed up that it happened to a really nice guy," Gonzalez said.
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Copyright 2009 STNG Wire, The Chicago Sun-Times. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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