‘It will rip your heart out’: Alabama towns glow pink for missing toddler Genesis Reid
Community members illuminate homes in show of support as search continues for 2-year-old
ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WTVY) - Pink lights are spreading across southeast Alabama as neighbors, friends and strangers show support for two-year-old Genesis Reid while investigators continue searching for answers in her disappearance.
Lisa Nelson has never met Genesis Reid, but she doesn’t need to know the toddler to feel pain. As a mother and grandmother of 13, this case hits home.
“It will rip your heart out,” Nelson said. “But those tiny ones, whether they’re grandchildren or nieces, nephews, they’re extra special, because they are still so innocent. And they’re so dependent on us to take care of them. And that she doesn’t have that right now is very disheartening.”
Nelson is honoring Genesis by lighting her Enterprise house in pink, symbolizing prayers and unity for the missing toddler.
“I’m sure that baby Genesis loved pink. So pink for a little heart to keep beating as well,” Nelson said.
What started as one social media post became a movement.
Homeowners in Andalusia, Hartford, Ozark and beyond are showing their support by illuminating their homes.
“We are one community. And so the pink for that sweet child, letting heaven know that we’re thinking about her, that we’re praying for her, that we are standing encouraged that she’s going to show back up,” Nelson said.
Ozark daycare worker organizes wear pink day
In Ozark, 30 minutes away, daycare employee Holly Kennedy is asking everyone to wear pink on Friday in Genesis’s honor.
“I’m just trying to think if this was my child, if this was my grandchild...I just want them to know that Ozark’s a small town. And that we’re thinking about them. We want that child to come home safe,” Kennedy said.
A vigil at Bates Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday will bring people together, believing their lights can guide Genesis home.
“We’re comforting her and giving her love and protecting her so that in some way she feels that she’s loved,” Nelson said.
The city of Enterprise has also added billboards to keep Genesis’s face in the public eye.
For Friday’s vigil, organizers are asking everyone to wear pink. Candles and flashlights will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own.
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