SAN ANTONIO – Much of San Antonio had taken King Jay Davila into their hearts and had prayed for his safe return. On Friday, the day after the discovery of his body, many felt compelled to see where it had been recovered on the Northeast Side.
People came soon after learning of baby King Jay's death to see the wide, muddy and marshy field that police say his father had to get across to allegedly bury his son.
The crime scene tape where the baby’s body was found is now adorned with stuffed toys. It's where some family members and friends joined hands in prayer.
A woman close to the family was seen holding two children and sobbing, asking, “Why? Why?”
A man who did not want to be identified said he had driven by the area where the body was found Thursday.
“I should have got off, and I would have found him. I said, 'Baby Jay, lead me to where you're at,’” he said.
Others who left balloons and other mementos at the memorial were neighbors or people who wanted to remember the child, like Mary Helen de la Rosa.
“It’s just sad. I just had to come to pay my respects,” de la Rosa said.
Now knowing that police have accused the baby's father, grandmother and the father's cousin of either being involved in his death, or trying to cover it up, "It's hard to believe that they could do that to that innocent baby,” said one memorial visitor.
“(King Jay is) home. He's at peace, and we're with you. We’re with you King Jay. We’re with you all the way,” said Ricardo Mendiola.
On the opposite side of town, on the West Side, what had been planned as prayer service will instead be a candlelight vigil Friday night at Monterrey Park. Organizers say, judging by the response on social media, a large crowd will be gathering in unity and in prayer, mourning baby King Jay.