ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – Family and friends of Kelsey Ferrigon are now gathered at the Spanish Town Seventh-Day Adventist Church in St Catherine to bid farewell to the young girl who was murdered at her Job Lane home last month.

The late nine-year-old’s bright pink casket was decorated with photos of her and decals of the little mermaid, while the see-through top allowed the congregants, including her schoolmates, to look in on her and her fluffy pink dress.

Scheduled on the programme to give tribute to Kelsey were Minister of Education Skills, Youth and Information Dana Morris Dixon, Minister of Gender Olivia Grande, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness and representatives from the police force. Ministers Grange and Dixon are present at the funeral.

Despite the funeral being set on a Monday morning, attendees filled the church, including students from her school, St Johns Primary, teachers, representatives from the office of the Children’s Advocate Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).

Kelsey was found dead in a barrel at her home on May 10. She was partially naked, and investigators theorise she may have been sexually assaulted.

The killing sparked national outrage and prompted calls for more stringent protections of women and girls in the country.

READ ‘Kelsey was an angel’

Police killed the suspected murderer on May 12.

READ Person of interest in Kelsey Ferrigon killing shot dead by police