LAPEER "Lily would want us to celebrate the two-and-a-half-years that we had her," grandmother Lynette Furneaux said.
The child's stepmother, 26-year-old Renee King, has been charged with murder, sexual assault and child abuse. Investigators accuse King, who remains behind bars, of raping her stepdaughter and killing her with a blow to the head. King says she is innocent.
A delay in forensic testing forced her pretrial hearing to be pushed back to Jan. 24.
"She was so beautiful .... just her smile lit up the world and she loved to sing and dance and loved Jesus," Lauren said.
The community came together by the dozens as Lily's family chose to focus on her short-life, not her death, at the emotional tribute.
Lily's uncle Michael said the support was overwhelming.
"I know maybe half the faces that are here," Michael Furneaux said.
Many attendees bought a special T-shirt with proceeds going to help abused children.
"On the back, it says "fight to infinity and beyond" because she loved "Toy Story." And that's what we're going to do: we're going to fight to infinity and beyond to get her justice," Lauren said.
