The littlest victim of the Texas school massacre was laid to rest Monday — the latest in a heartbreaking string of funerals for those killed in last month’s horror.
Nine-year-old Eliahna Amyah Garcia’s burial comes after her grief-stricken family received an unexpected gift to remember her by — a custom-made dress from her favorite Disney flick, “Encanto.”
Costume-makers with the entertainment company recreated the lilac-decorated dress to honor Eliahna, who was killed in the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Eliahna would have turned 10 over the weekend.
“We heard you love ‘Encanto,’ ” Disney said in a note accompanying the dress. “You may notice how important butterflies are in the movie. They represent magic, hope and family, among many other things.”
Disney also sent other keepsakes from the movie, include extra cloth butterflies.
“We gave Ellie a butterfly and wanted all of her sisters to have one, too,” the letter added to the family. “Fly until you find your way towards tomorrow.”
“Encanto,” the 2021 animated Disney hit, tells the story of a family in an enchanted town by the same name in the mountains of Colombia.The main character, Isabela, who has the power to make flowers grow, wore the beautiful flower-print dress in the movie.
A memorial for Xavier Lopez, who was killed when a gunman open fire at a Texas school, killing 19 children. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
A memorial to the 19 children and two teachers who died in the mass shooting is displayed at Robb Elementary School. AFP via Getty Images
People react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after the shooting. REUTERS/Marco Bello“She loved that movie and talked a lot about it,” Eliahana’s aunt, Siria Arizmendi, said of her niece.
The girl’s funeral at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Monday was just the latest for 21 victims of the massacre. Eliahna and 18 of her fourth-grade classmates were killed, as were two teachers.
Her family said the youngster also loved basketball and making TikTok videos and hoped to one day be a cheerleader, the Texas Tribune reported.
Her father said Eliahna was “a planner” who already had a dress in mind for her quinceanera celebration in more than five years, the outlet said.
“Told her we’re going to have a party, and her face just lit up,” her father recalled “That was the last time I saw her.”
Eliahna’s funeral was held just hours before a wake for one of her classmates, according to reports.
Xavier Lopez, 10, could dance to Colombian songs and ham it up for the camera with the best of them, his grieving family told the Tribune.
“He was funny, never serious, and his smile,” his mom, Felicha Martinez, told the Washington Post. “That smile I will never forget. It would always cheer anyone up.”
Police said deranged 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos stormed the school armed with an AR-15 assault rifle and massacred the group.
Cops remained outside for more than an hour as Ramos launched his slaughter inside. It took the heroics of Border Patrol agents to rush the classrooms where Ramos was barricaded and shoot the killer down.
Among the victims still due to be memorialized is teacher Eva Mireles, who is scheduled to be remembered at a funeral service Friday.
With Post Wires
