WASHINGTON COUNTY, INDIANA, Ind. — Inside a Salem, Indiana church, Sunday, five-year-old Cairo Ammar Jordan came that much closer to being at rest, with his family back home in Atlanta, Georgia.
A memorial was held for Jordan at Southern Hills Church, drawing dozens, including Cairo’s family.
Though those family members declined to interview with WHAS11, neighbors said they were glad they made the trip out to Indiana.
“We don't want [Cairo] to just be remembered as the little boy in a suitcase. He has a name and a family and so I'm so glad I got to meet them,” Yvonne Casey, a Washington County resident who’s been following Jordan’s case since the beginning, said.
The service was a chance for those in Washington County, who adopted the once nameless “angel” to come together with his family and mourn the loss of a life that was only getting started.
“I mean, look at that little face. How? And, why? That's the true answer I'd like,” Casey’s mom Janet Irk, said. “How and why?”
While those answers won't come today, the community is learning more about Cairo Jordan.
The following comes from the program at Jordan’s service:
“[Cairo Ammar Jordan] was a very active and happy baby who would warm your heart with his laughter and smiles. He grew into a very smart little boy with a keen imagination for playing with his toys and dinosaurs.
He was so much like his daddy, Vincent Jr., always giving you a smile, having a calm demeanor, yet fearless and oh how smart he was ... Cairo's life speaks volumes of the wonderful impact a little life can have on many lives.
Through the kind and loving efforts of family, friends and communities from Georgia to Indiana, Cairo's life has spread love and light to many across the nation and the world.”
As the Washington County community prepares a final goodbye to Cairo, by no means is it a somber moment.
“I’m just so blessed the family is here to do the things they need to do to get it done,” Casey said.
Their goodbye marks a homecoming, months in the making for the Jordan family.
“I think it's a pretty smooth ride from now on,” Irk said. “I know who he is, we know the family is.”
Next, they say, comes justice.
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