Paulsboro Holds Vigil for 9-Year-Old Maya as Her Mother and Stepfather Face Murder Charges

On Friday evening, Paulsboro came out for a little girl named Maya. Neighbors and faith leaders gathered near the 1500 block of Swedesboro Avenue for a candlelight vigil and a balloon release, and pictures of the 9-year-old hung on the fence near her family's home.

Police say Maya died after being beaten. Her mother, India Miller, 27, and her stepfather, Sean Scott, 45, are charged with murder and are in jail, officials said.

Investigators say the first account didn't match what doctors found. Maya's parents called 911 around 1 a.m. Tuesday and said she may have been hit by a car while walking the dog. At the hospital, doctors found facial trauma, bruises all over her body and injuries that weren't consistent with a car strike, investigators say. She was pronounced dead just before 7 p.m. that night.

Police say they found blood inside the home. An autopsy found multiple injuries at different stages of healing, which investigators say points to earlier abuse. Maya's 4-year-old sibling told investigators that their father hit Maya in the eyes and face.

Miller and Scott have appeared in court on the charges. Neither has been convicted.

On Swedesboro Avenue, the grief was spoken out loud. "God we come with our hearts heavy, minds perplexed," Pastor Holloway said. A speaker identified only as Karen had a message for every parent there: "Parents when you go home tonight, hug your kids a little more. Love them a little more."

Some community members said Maya was homeschooled. Mayor John Giovannitti said he spoke with her grandmother, who lives in Washington. "The grandmom is hurting right now. But I told her this community that didn't know Maya, never saw Maya would stand for Maya tonight," the mayor said.

That was the weight of the night: a town standing up for a child it never got to see.

One pastor told the crowd they had a job to do. "We have to do everything in our power to make sure this doesn't happen again to any child. There is no child that should live in fear of their life." Neighbors and leaders urged people to watch for the warning signs of abuse.

What happened before that 911 call is still not public. Authorities have not released more about what led up to Maya's death, or whether any agency had been involved with the family before. The murder charges against Miller and Scott are allegations that prosecutors will have to prove in court.

Source: Gloucester County officials and Paulsboro vigil remarks.