S.C. vigil will honor 3 slain Rock Hill children
DAN HUNTLEY
Staff Writer
ROCK HILL - A national support group for sexually abused children will hold a candlelight vigil tonight to honor three murdered children from York County. The service is sponsored by Silent Lambs (silentlambs.org), a support group for abused children in "religious institutional settings." The Meza family were members of a Rock Hill Jehovah's Witnesses church. The children -- Jayro, 5; Denise, 8; and Denia, 14 -- died Aug. 9 before a fire engulfed their home. Authorities say they were slain by one of their parents -- Marbely or Jose Denis Meza -- who died in the fire. The case is still under investigation. Denis had been arrested three weeks before on charges he molested Denia. Officials say she was also raped within five days of her death. A national spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses church said that Denis Meza "confessed" to church officials about sexually abusing his daughter, but he stressed that church officials turned that information over to York County authorities. Bill Bowen, director of Silent Lambs and a former Jehovah's Witnesses elder from Calvert City, Ky., announced Wednesday in Rock Hill the establishment of the Meza Children Memorial Fund. Half of the money raised will go to a surviving Meza sibling in Nicaragua. The other half will go to local charities and to help cover the family's funeral costs. The vigil will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory at 126 Museum Road. Also today, the group will deliver stuffed toy lambs to three local congregations of the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. Along with the "silent lambs" will be information for church members on how to report sexual abuse to local authorities. To learn more about the vigil, the Meza Children Fund and how to volunteer, call Faith Lingerfeldt at (803) 684-4474. To learn more about Silent Lambs, call Bill Bowen at (270) 703-2257. | 
