Memorial for 8-year-old Maddy Middleton held in Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ, Calif, (KGO) -- Hundreds of people gathered Sunday to pay their respects to a young girl who was found dead at an apartment complex in Santa Cruz.

Madyson Middleton, 8, was found strangled to death last month near the Tannery Arts Center.

The service began with a traditional bag pipe procession that included the young girl's mother and close friends. But the event quickly turned into a musical tribute and celebration of the girl most people called Maddy.

The mayor read a proclamation to commemorate her upcoming birthday. "Now, therefore I Mayor Don Lane mayor of Santa Cruz do hereby proclaim October 5, 2015 as Maddy Middleton Day in the city of Santa Cruz," he said.

Her mother said a few words thanking the few hundred people who showed up for the event. "I would like to thank all of you for your kindness and support. I also want to share with you two things from Maddy so that you can get to know my daughter a little bit better," Laura Jordan said.

She went on to read an entry from Maddy's diary and then showed a segment of video from her daughter's video blog.

According to initial autopsy reports, she suffered several stab wounds and died of asphyxiation.

Adrian Gonzalez, 15, also lived in the artists community and is facing adult felony charges of murder and kidnapping.

Three GoFundMe pages have been set up to help family members.

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