CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Saturday vigil for a San Francisco girl also became a celebration of a community’s compassion.
Close to 70 people gathered at Redbud Park in Clearlake Saturday evening to commemorate the life of 9-year-old Mikaela Lynch.
The little girl, who had autism, wandered from her family’s home last Sunday afternoon. A massive search for her ended on Wednesday morning when her body was found in Cache Creek, not far from the home.
Hundreds of community members joined the effort to find her, and grief over her death has rippled across the county and beyond.
“There’s incredible strength and love here,” said Pastor Karl Parker of the Clearlake Community United Methodist Church, who himself had participated in the search and offered the family support.
Parker pointed out how that the search for the girl brought people together, with the community doing a lot for the child and her family in the around-the-clock search.
Mikaela’s aunt, Cyndie Spitzer, offered her thanks to the community for the outpouring of support.
She said she imagined that the child was giving everyone who had helped in the search a kiss on the cheek, one of her favorite things to do for others.
Spitzer had just begun moving to Clearlake last weekend when her niece disappeared.
At first, she said she thought she couldn’t stay in Clearlake. But after she saw the support that came from people in Clearlake and from around Lake County, she said she couldn’t leave.
“What the community has done for us, it’s proven to me that this is the place to be,” said Spitzer.
The help has continued to come. Marilyn Stone, Lori Kent and DeeDee Simental helped organize the vigil, with Jessica Lucero at the Dollar Store donating balloons for the event, and Jones and Lewis Mortuary in Lower Lake and Hospice Services of Lake County donated the candles.
Kent said she and her family – even her 4-year-old granddaughter – participated in the search. She also set up a memorial donation account for the girl’s family at Mendo Lake Credit Union.
Parker, who lives near the Lynch’s vacation home, also has been an important source of support for the family, said Spitzer. “He’s been with us since minute one.”
Spitzer said her brother, Michael Lynch, and his wife Bari, were devoted to their daughter.
Friends and coworkers of the couple offered their assistance, and Spitzer said all of the teachers from Sunset Elementary School, where Mikaela attended, came to Clearlake to try to find the child.
“It was amazing,” she said.
She said on Saturday that the Lynches were back at home in San Francisco with their son.
Spitzer said the family had been touched by the gestures offered in memory of their child.
On Friday, Mikaela’s mother had gone to the area where her daughter’s body was found in Cache Creek. When she got to the spot, she found three little children making a cross, according to Spitzer.
In their own effort to honor her memory, Mikaela’s family and friends have launched a memorial Web site, titled “Mikaela’s Village,” which can be found at www.mlvillage.org .
Donations can be made through the Web site or in her name at Mendo Lake Credit Union. Spitzer said the child’s family intends to use the funds to benefit autism research as well as the James S. Brady Therapeutic Riding Program, which she said Mikaela loved.
Locally, another vigil is set to take place, this time in Lakeport. The Success in Autism Support Group, First 5 Lake County and Easter Seals will host the event beginning at 6 p.m. at the Legacy School, 1950 Parallel Drive.
Spitzer said a vigil in San Francisco will take place next weekend. Details will be posted at www.mlvillage.org .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.