Monday would have been “Precious Doe’s” 20th birthday. At 10 a.m. a group gathered where she is buried at Park Lawn Cemetery to honor her life.
In 2001 police found the little girl’s decapitated body near 59th and Kensington. She became known as “Precious Doe” in the years-long search it took to find out who she was.
During that time, police, community members and others banded together to form the Precious Doe Committee.
"Everybody just really figured with the age she was somebody would come for her... It wouldn't have been weeks. When it got to that point then we just kind of made a decision then we would stand up for her until somebody did come forward, until they did find them," explained Marcie Williams, chair person of the Precious Doe Committee.
In 2005 forensic evidence found Precious Doe was Erica Green, and that she had been killed just shy of her fourth birthday.
Investigators said her mother’s boyfriend kicked the toddler in the head.
The committee said the mother and boyfriend were on drugs and so they did not take her to the hospital. Erica died two or three days later.
"We never thought the mother would be alive when it took that many years to find out - that many years to find out who she was," said Williams.
Williams said video footage showed the mother was present for one search or community outreach event in her daughter's namesake.
The mother pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and got a 25-year prison sentence. Her boyfriend was given life in prison without parole.
At 5:30 p.m. there will be a larger gathering with crime prevention information being passed out.
