Community Pulls Together to Support Family of Baby Allegedly Set on Fire By Mother

A pair of lit lanterns ascended into the sky from the snowy grounds of the United Methodist Church in Browns Mills Wednesday evening. It took a few tries before each fire was lit, but it wasn’t too long before baby Angelica’s family had sent their messages to Heaven.

People from all over the region packed the church Wednesday night to help celebrate Angelica’s brief life, one that was taken before it was even given a chance to get off the ground.

Angelica is the name given to the newborn daughter who was allegedly set on fire by her mother Friday evening. The baby died of smoke inhalation, and 22-year-old is being charged with murder in her death.

But Wednesday night was not a time to focus on who was responsible or what the next legal step should be.

As Pastor Richard Esher said during his sermon, it was about being supportive of Angelica’s family.

Angelica’s grandmother Juana Sully and aunt Joennah Dorvilier sat in the front row of the church Wednesday night, listening to a passionate sermon from Esher, who just met them Tuesday morning.

“After the story disappears off the front of the newspapers, the family will still be hurting,” Esher said. “They’ll be hurting for a while.

“It’s about caring for each other and bringing people together in a time of need. It’s about celebrating life and the importance of life.”

Esher said he knew some people had come to the sermon and subsequent candlelight vigil for many reasons.

“Some came to mourn,” Esher said. “Some are tired of crying by themselves and wanted to cry with someone else. Some are angry. Some need to vent.”

“I felt sad for the girl and the baby,” said Mark Barrows, of Burlington Township. “I wanted to support them and the family and pray against the demonic spirit that caused this.”

Barrows is a Missionary Coordinator at the Church of the Living Fire in Browns Mills, down the street from where the vigil took place. He read about the vigil in the paper Wednesday morning, and felt the turnout was awesome.

“At any time this could happen to any one of us, so we just wanted to pull together as a community and support them,” said D.J. Muprhy, of Cookstown.

Rebecca Pitre, and Ken and Carol Seymour were there to show support for the family.

They were surprised by the turnout, especially with the snowfall that hit the region on Wednesday that made travel tough during the evening commute, just before the sermon/vigil was set to begin. It was also in the low 30s Wednesday night.

Jenna Dilley, of Browns Mills, organized the gathering via Facebook. According to the Candlelight Vigil for Angelica Facebook page, 350 people intended to attend. The church was packed, and strangers who had never met Angelica or her family were reduced to tears.

A group of teachers from the Pemberton School District showed their support by wearing white in honor of Angelica.

“When we heard about this, our first thought was to stand behind the community, to be here and show support for the family,” said Joe DeVito, a teacher at the middle school. “I think it’s just the right thing to do. That’s why we’re here. We work in the community. Some of us live here, so there’s no other thing to do than to be here and show support.

“We’re happy to see the support, especially with the weather.”

He said Pemberton is an underrated community.

“We have a lot of great people here,” DeVito said. “There are still people here. It’s freezing cold.”

Each one braved the cold to show their support for the family during the vigil following the sermon outside the church. They held candles and sang “Amazing Grace.”

And they watched as the family’s messages for Angelica were lifted to Heaven.

“The family is overwhelmed with gratitude,” said Madelyn Mears-Sheldon, the spokesperson for the event. “I’ve seen people rise up and show compassion and kindness.”

The funeral for Baby Angelica will also take place at United Methodist Church in Browns Mills, Monday morning at 11 a.m.

Donations to help the family pay for the funeral can be sent to:

BMUMC
2 Pemberton, Br. Mills.Rd
Browns Mills, NJ 08015

RELATED STORIES:

• Prosecutor: Mother Set Baby on Fire, Charged With Murder
• UPDATE: Baby Dies After Allegedly ‘Set On Fire’ On South Jersey Road, Doused In Flammable Liquid
• Woman Who Allegedly Killed Baby in Burlington County Due in Court
• UPDATE: Mother Who Allegedly Set Baby on Fire Said She Was Burning ‘Dog Waste,’ Witnesses Say

• Prosecutor Releases Disturbing New Details in Case of Burned Newborn