Vigil held at pond where missing Kansas City 13-year-old Jayden Robker was found dead

Roughly 100 people gathered Wednesday evening at the small pond where missing Kansas City 13-year-old Jayden Robker’s body was discovered to pay tribute to his life.

Organized by the family of the boy, the candlelight vigil was held about an hour before sunset and began with an acoustic guitar rendition of “Hallelujah” followed by prayer. Family members lit biodegradable, lotus-shaped purple candles and set them off to float along the shallow pond.

Susan Deedon, the boy’s aunt, thanked attendees — some of them classmates, others who live in the community but never knew the teen personally — for continued support shown to the family in the wake of the tragedy.

“So many of you have come up to hug me and just pour out your love. This is an amazing community. You guys have something great here,” said Deedon, who has traveled back and forth between Kansas City and Illinois over the past weeks as Jayden Robker remained missing.

Over the past weeks, as she and her brother searched through the area, she noted they came across three other nearby ponds.

“I just thank God for not letting me know the pond was here,” she said.

Kansas City police began looking for Jayden Robker in early February after his mother, Heather Robker, reported he had left their home in the Northland’s Lakeview Terrace and not returned. Heather Robker has told The Star her son left that afternoon, shortly after returning home from school, on his skateboard to sell Pokemon cards.

His disappearance touched off community search parties, including one led by the Kansas City’s Ad Hoc Group Against Crime on March 5. On Friday, a heavy law enforcement presence descended on a wooded area of neighboring Gladstone as police announced a body had been found.

An autopsy of the boy preliminarily found no obvious signs of foul play. Gladstone police have said they are investigating his death.

On Wednesday, Deedon, the aunt, said she had discovered a shoe that may have belonged to her nephew near the small pond’s shoreline. She said she and her family contacted the police to have that collected, and said they have faith in investigators to answer the questions they continue to have about his disappearance.

“Many have told me that it was Jayden just letting me know that he sees me,” Deedon said, as she held back tears in front of the crowd. “And everything I’ve been doing to try to find him. And now just honoring him and his greatness.”

Funeral services for Jayden Robker are being organized at the Good Shepherd, said Kayla Meredith, pastor of the Gladstone church. Expecting a large gathering, Meredith said the church intends to organize web streaming of the service to the broader community.

Of the large gathering of people who came out to the vigil Wednesday, Meredith said: “It’s a beautiful testimony of a community of love.”

“He’s touched people’s lives even in this tragic circumstance,” she said.