Vigils For Shaniya Davis

Slideshow - Vigil — AP/Fay. Observer/Stephanie Bruce

Bradley Lockhart, center, father of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, cries during a candlelight vigil, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, in Fayetteville, N.C. Shaniya, who had been missing since Nov. 10, was found Monday in a wooded area of Lee County, N.C. Lockhart said he raised his daughter for several years, but in October, decided to let her stay with her mother. He had pleaded for her safe return.

Searchers found the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis on Nov. 16, 2009, ending a week-long search for the missing girl, whose mother is now accused of offering her for sex, police said. Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Theresa Chance told The Associated Press that searchers found Davis' body southeast of Sanford in central N.C. She had been missing since Nov. 10, 2009.

Crystal Godfrey, kneeling center, and Tiffany Dunlap, right, light candles during a vigil for 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, in Fayetteville, N.C. on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Earlier in the day, the girl's body was found along road southeast of Sanford N.C.

Shaniya Davis' father, Bradley Lockhart, arrives at a vigil for his daughter on Nov. 16, 2009, with help from friends gripping his arms, tears ran down his face as he spoke, struggling to stand. "Lord, I come to you with open arms and it is hard," Lockhart said as he stood among a crowd of about 500 gathered in a store parking lot. "Don't give up on me and don't give up on Shaniya. She's right there with you."

Shaniya Davis' father said he regrets ever giving the girl's mother a chance to raise their daughter, even though she seemed to be getting her life together. Bradley Lockhart said he had a one-night stand with Antoinette Davis and mostly brought up their daughter before letting Davis take care of her. A month later, Shaniya was dead, her body dumped off a rural road and her mother accused of selling her for sex.

Crystal Weichett holds her daughter, Callie, during a candlelight vigil for 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, whose body was found near Sanford, N.C., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.

Debonte Belk holds a candle during a vigil for Shaniya Davis Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, in Fayetteville, N.C. Two people are charged in the disappearance of the 5-year-old girl, including her mother, Antoinette Davis, 25. Authorities found Shaniya's body Monday off a road southeast of Sanford in the central part of the state. Davis reported the girl missing on Nov. 10.

Searchers found the body of Shaniya Davis on Nov. 16, 2009, near Sanford, N.C., ending a week-long search for the missing 5-year-old, whose mother is accused of offering her for sex, police said. Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Theresa Chance told The Associated Press that searchers found Shaniya's body southeast of Sanford. She was reported missing on Nov. 10, 2009.

Brianna Chavis, 8, left, her mother, Erica Chavis, and brother Corey Chavis, 14, right, hold candles during a vigil for Shaniya Davis, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, at a shopping center in Fayetteville, N.C. Searchers found the 5-year-old's body Monday afternoon underneath kudzu along a rural highway southeast of Sanford, N.C.

Crystal Godfrey lights candles during a vigil for 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, whose body was found near Sanford, N.C. on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Searchers discovered the girl's body off a rural road southeast of Sanford on Monday, nearly a week after her mother reported her missing from a mobile home park in nearby Fayetteville.

Bob Haan returns from searching for missing 5-year-old Shaniya Davis in Sanford, N.C., Monday, Nov. 16, 2008. Searchers found her body Monday afternoon underneath thick vines along a rural highway. Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis, is charged with human trafficking and felony child abuse.

Authorities investigate the scene where the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis was found outside of Sanford, N.C., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Authorities acted on a tip Sunday and searched a wide area of the south-central part of the state trying to find the girl who was reported missing by her mother, who has since been charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution.

Children hold candles during a vigil for Shaniya Davis, whose body was found near Sanford, N.C., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. For a week, authorities feverishly searched for the 5-year-old girl across south-central N.C., only to find her body Monday off a rural road following accusations the girl's mother offered her for sex.

People pray during a candlelight vigil for 5-year-old Shaniya Nicole Davis, whose body was found near Sanford, N.C., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. For a week, authorities feverishly searched for the girl across central N.C., only to find her body Monday off a rural road following accusations the girl's mother offered her for sex.

Theresa Chance, spokeswoman for the Fayetteville, N.C. Police Department, walks away after briefing the media after the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis was found in Sanford, N.C., Nov. 16, 2009. The girl's mother, Antoinette Davis, 25, has been charged with human trafficking and felony child abuse, accused of selling her daughter into sex slavery.

Searchers found the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis off a rural highway southeast of Sanford, N.C. on Nov. 16, 2009, ending a week-long serch for the missing girl, whose mother is accused of offering her for sex, according to Fayetteville Police. She had been missing since Nov. 10, 2009.

Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Theresa Chance briefs the media on the finding of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis' body during a news conference in Fayetteville, N.C., Monday, Nov. 16, 2008. Authorities said they acted on a tip Sunday and searched a wide area in south-central N.C. trying to find the girl reported missing on Nov. 10.

Hundreds of people hold up candles in front of a makeshift memorial for 5-year-old Shaniya Davis in Fayetteville, N.C. on Nov. 16, 2009. Davis, who had been reported missing on Nov. 10, was found Monday in a wooded area of Lee County, N.C. Davis' father, Bradley Lockhart, said he raised his daughter for several years but last month decided to let her stay with her mother. He had pleaded for her safe return.

Searchers found the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis Monday afternoon, Nov. 16, 2009, underneath kudzu along a rural highway southeast of Sanford, N.C. The discovery ended a week-long search for the missing girl. An autopsy was being conducted to determine how Shaniya died.

Shaniya Davis' father, Bradley Lockhart, arrived at a vigil for his murdered daughter on Nov. 16, 2009, with help from friends gripping his arms. Tears ran down his face as he spoke, struggling to stand. "Lord, I come to you with open arms and it is hard," Lockhart said as he stood among a crowd of about 500 gathered in a store parking lot. "Don't give up on me and don't give up on Shaniya. She's right there with you."