LYNCHBURG, Va. – A nearly weeks-long search ended in heartbreak for Avriel Hooks’ family and friends.
On Tuesday, Lynchburg Police, in cooperation with the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, announced that Hooks had been murdered after finding a body in Amherst County.
Police arrested Michael L. Perry III in connection to her murder.
Just hours after the body was found on Tuesday, Hooks’ family held a prayer vigil.
Ashley Pittman, Hooks’ mom, was shocked by how much the community came together during this time.
“I didn’t know the community cared as much as they did. This has been the biggest smile I’ve been able to put on in days,” Pittman said.
Her original plan was to have the vigil as a way of spreading a message of hope. It turned into a different message later in the afternoon.
“It didn’t matter that the focus of the prayer had shifted to 100% justice and the baby. It was still important for the community to know that what you did mattered. That search party this morning mattered,” Pittman said.
The family is shifting a lot of their focus to Hooks’ baby son, Michael.
“Oh wow ... words can’t describe ... there’s not a word invented for the kind of love she had for him,” Pittman said.