toledoblade.com --

MONROE - Prayers for the safe recovery of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan changed Sunday to prayers for the recovery of her family and friends from the grief that surrounds the child's disappearance and apparent homicide.

At St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 511 South Monroe St., the Rev. Jack Quinlan said that in the view of the Catholic Church, Nevaeh is in heaven and is in no need of human prayers.

"We'll pray for the family of Nevaeh," Father Quinlan said.

The pastor said the family apparently does not attend St. John the Baptist.

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A body believed to be Nevaeh's was found Thursday in a shallow grave of dirt and concrete along Dixon Road at the River Raisin near Dundee, Mich.

She was reported missing about 8:30 p.m. on May 24 by her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, 24, from the Charlotte Arms apartment complex on North Macomb Street where Nevaeh, her mother, and her grandmother lived.

The girl was last seen riding a scooter and her disappearance triggered an 11-day search.

The body found by a Newport, Mich., man and his stepfather who had gone to fish from that particular stretch of the river bank was sent to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office in Detroit for an autopsy and DNA testing to confirm the girl's identity.

Holly Musarelli, left, of Monroe, and friends Yvonne Davison and her daughter, Emily Davison, 21, both of LaSalle, Mich., urge prayers for Nevaeh’s family
( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )

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The Monroe County Sheriff's Office task force formed to find Nevaeh said yesterday it had not received results from the medical examiner's office.

Maj. Dan Motylinski of the sheriff's office said no arrests have been made in the case, and authorities continued to receive and act on tips.

People with information are asked to call the task force's tip line, 734-243-7070.

Father Quinlan told his congregation that Catholics are known for praying for the dead, but not for babies and small children who die.

"A child that dies, we believe, goes directly to heaven. They had no sin and they go back to be with God," Father Quinlan said. "It's very comforting, but it doesn't take away the sadness that we all feel."

Parish members said they agreed with Father Quinlan's view, even though the body had yet to be positively identified.

"I would still pray for the baby as well, but the concept of the child being in heaven is what we're all about," said Ralph Carducci, principal of Monroe High School.

The high school allowed moments of silence for the Buchanan family last week during and at the graduation ceremony Friday, he said.

Emily Davison, 21, of LaSalle, Mich., said she agreed with the priest.

"I believe you have to pray for the family. A small child has the innocence that they do go to heaven," Miss Davison said. "Everybody in there, it brought tears to their eyes."

Her mother, Yvonne Davison, said people should pray for the family and even for the perpetrator - "and that's the hardest to pray for."

Christina Compean, 14, of Monroe, who was at church with her mother, Cindy Compean, said the news that a child's body was found was saddening to her eighth-grade class members, who were on a trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky.

"When we found out, we went in our rooms and just stayed there because we were afraid. We felt really sad and didn't want to do anything," Christina said. "We all felt really bad for her."

Several members of a Sylvania family who were at the church for a baptism said the tragedy is a painful reminder of how adults have to maintain constant vigilance over their children.

Michael Calandra, who grew up in Monroe and went to St. John the Baptist School, said a small child cannot match strength or wits with an adult who means them harm.

"You're asking a 5-year-old to deal with the mentality and the ulterior motives of an adult, and they can't," said Mr. Calandra, who teaches self-defense and martial arts classes in Sylvania.

Mr. Calandra's daughter, 9-year-old Hannah Calandra, said of Nevaeh, "She's in heaven and now she's with God and He's going to keep her safe."

Contact Tom Troy at:
tomtroy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6058.

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