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One year after Richard Lyons buried his 9-year-old daughter, who was stabbed in an alley near his South Side home, he wonders whether her killer will be found. Adding to his pain is the investigation of Burr Oak Cemetery, where Mya's body was laid to rest.
Lyons had visited Mya's grave just one week before the news broke of the missing and dismembered bodies at Burr Oak. The grave, which featured a headstone, appeared to be fully intact.
Richard Lyons' 9-year-old daughter, Mya, was murdered last year near his South Side home.
"I do feel that they have not moved her, but it does make me wonder if they placed her where somebody else was," Lyons said. "And that made me lose sleep. It was horrific to even think about."
Lyons said many of his family members had been buried at the Alsip cemetery. A previous request to place his grandmother's body next to his grandfather's plot was denied, citing that the area was too full.
Yet, when Mya died July 15, 2008, that spot was suddenly open, Lyons said.
"I did not understand how that [plot] was available," Lyons said. "The cemetery should be getting fuller, not emptier. I found that to be quite disturbing."
A family member was sent to Eisenhower High School on Sunday to inquire about Mya's plot, as well as the burial plots of several family members, Lyons said.
On Saturday, family members and friends gathered at a forest preserve in south suburban Riverdale to mark the one-year anniversary of Mya's death, which remains unsolved.
Mya's murder case, one of 508 homicides recorded citywide last year, remained "open" according to a Chicago Police spokesman. No charges have beenfiled in the case.
The gathering brought back a flood of memories for Lyons.
"All of my family and friends came out and we all just shared little stories about Mya -- reminiscing about her life and all of the joyous and crazy moments that she's left on our lives forever."
Lyons struggles to understand why police haven't received more tips in the investigation.
"It's hard for me to believe that this [killing] was something that was done so secretly -- that nobody else knew anything about it or that somebody has kept it a secret for so long," Lyons said.
Lyons remains unable to drive near the alley where he discovered Mya's bloody body on a late summer night. He instead uses a separate exit and entrance to gain access to his home
"I don't drive that way. I don't walk that way," Lyons said. "I just don't feel the freedom to do that."
Her short life and sudden death has changed the lives of Mya's family.
"She's definitely brought light to how quickly life could be over," Lyons said. "It just made us realize that we need to love each other, and we cannot take anything for granted."
