closing the chapter

Saying goodbye to Alejandra
10-year-old’s body will be flown to Mexico for funeral
By Amy Soper
asoper@news-sentinel.com
Sobs rose from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church as Emma Gutierrez leaned on the edge of the white casket where her daughter lay Monday morning.
For Gutierrez, it was her first close look at her daughter’s face since Alejandra disappeared Dec. 8. Today, Alejandra’s body is scheduled to be flown to Mexico, where a a funeral service will be held in her birth city of El Cuitzillo, Guanajuato.
Perhaps her mother was remembering seeing Alejandra walk west on Branning Avenue toward the bus stop at Calhoun Street. Perhaps she was remembering the playful screams her daughter made as she romped with younger children. Or perhaps she was remembering the 10-year-old’s dream to finish school and became a nurse or a teacher.
Alejandra’s dreams were cut short by tragedy. Police believe she was raped by Simon Rios and a juvenile before her strangled body was dumped in a Delaware County woods hours after her Dec. 8 abduction. Rios, who already is charged with killing his wife and three children Dec. 13, told authorities he and 17-year-old Juan Rosales abducted Alejandra in his van.
A funeral service for Rios’ wife, Ana Casas, and their three young daughters was held at St. Patrick’s more than a week ago. Whether Alejandra’s disappearance and death were connected to the slayings of Rios’ wife and children is still unknown.
For the Gutierrez’s neighbor, Donnie Foster, Alejandra’s abduction and death is a call to fight for change. The father of an 11-year-old girl, 9-year-old boy and 14-month-old girl, he is lobbying the school district to bring back use of code words. He said if someone tries to pick a child up and doesn’t know the code word, the child would know not to go with that person.
“We can’t see more children like that,” Foster said, pointing to Alejandra’s casket.
Friends, family and others shared their memories of “Alejandrita” and their sorrow as many showed their support for the Gutierrez family.
“I’m Hispanic and I know how close-knit the Hispanic community is,” said Elena Hess, who wiped tears from her eyes after paying her respects at the casket. “I felt it was my duty as a mother and a human being to come.”
Hess said she has a 3-year-old daughter and is saddened by the evil in the world.
Mimi Drewery doesn’t directly know the Gutierrez family, but her niece was a classmate of Alejandra’s.
“I don’t know them personally, but I know them from my heart,” Drewery said. “I belong to the Hispanic community, and she’s just like one of the family.”
Drewery said tragedies such as the recent deaths are unusual in the Hispanic community, which she admitted has its share of ups and downs. She said Alejandra’s death hit her niece hard.
“She knows (Alejandra’s) not coming back,” she said.
How you can help
Friends of the family have established a memorial fund to help pay for expenses connected with Alejandra Gutierrez’s funeral. Deposits can be made to the Alejandra Gutierrez Memorial Fund at any National City Bank branch in Indiana. The Gutierrez family will retain control of the money.
Express your condolences
To express your condolences, go to www.legacy.com/FortWayne, and click on Alejandra Gutierrez’s name.