Vigil for young Bella
Family expresses frustration, grief over Oakmont 3-year-old’s death
The mourning family couldn’t escape the feeling that the young girl was failed by those supposed to protect her from the cruelty she endured.
Relatives of Bella Rae Seachrist expressed grief and called for justice Sunday during a vigil in Verona for the 3-year-old who died June 9 after multiple instances of alleged physical, sexual and mental abuse. Many said they felt wronged by a system that allowed a young girl to slip through the cracks.
“There’s so many people, I think, that failed,” said Dolly Seachrist, the tot’s grandmother. “Us included.”
Ms. Seachrist thought the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families didn’t do enough research before allowing Bella to go into custody of her father, 29-year-old Jose Eduardo Salazar-Ortiz Sr.
According to police, Mr. Salazar-Ortiz described his wife, 27-year-old Laura Ramriez, as someone with “a lot of temper,” and she took out that anger on Bella, he said. Ms. Seachrist said the stepmother may have resented that the child was born from an affair.
The child faced “prolonged physical and mental abuse” while in her father’s custody, according to a criminal complaint. Police described a cycle of brutal mistreatment, including Bella being bound and gagged, thrown into a freezing cold shower and “extreme sexual abuse.” She was so malnourished that her “skeletal structure was visible,” the complaint reads.
Bella was found dead in a bathtub at her father’s Oakmont home. Mr. Salazar-Ortiz, Ms. Ramriez and Ms. Ramriez’s 20-year-old sister, Alexis Herrera, were all arrested Wednesday and face multiple charges, including homicide and aggravated indecent assault of a child.
Dozens of people of all ages — family, friends, neighbors and other supporters — came together at Riverbank Park on Sunday to honor the child’s short life. Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with her photo that read “Justice for Bella” in bright pink lettering. Doughnuts donated by Oakmont Bakery were handed out.
“We’re very grateful and thankful for everybody to take time out of their day to remember Bella,” Ms. Seachrist said Sunday.
“We would like to thank everyone in the community, outside the community and the police,” she added. “The arrest took long, but they did their job.”
Nicole Seachrist, Bella’s mother, was present, but family said she did not want to offer comment. Following Bella’s death, Nicole Seachrist received undue criticism from people who don’t understand the family’s situation, her longtime friend Angel Walker said.
Mr. Salazar-Ortiz won sole custody of Bella in August 2017 after concerns of substance abuse with the child’s biological mother. Ms. Walker said the mom wasn’t given the resources she needed to help her take care of her child.
“Just know that we have your back,” Angelina McDade, another lifelong friend, told Nicole during the vigil. “We’re gonna make things happen.”
Ms. McDade said she wanted to see legal changes so children are better cared for and more closely monitored when they go into the child protection system.
The pain and sadness are going to last forever, Jill Jenkins, Bella’s great-grandmother, said. What was done to Bella “was horrific. It’s gonna stay in my mind the rest of my life,” she said.
“She was just loved, loved, loved,” Jane McClintic, Ms. Jenkins’ sister, said.
Ms. McClintic described a child who loved to go on car rides, played with snow globes and snatched sunglasses out of her family members’ hands.
“She was joy,” she said. James Grantz, a pastor in the community, spoke to the group and led attendees in prayer.
“I can’t begin to express how my heart aches, the pain,” he said. “As a Christian, it’s hard to find some kind of rationale within this.”
“God will take the worst possible circumstances and turn them into something good,” he said, encouraging the family to make positive change out of their fury. “Let your anger and outrage for Bella do good.”
After a minute of silence punctured with sniffles, Nicole Seachrist released balloons in Bella’s memory. The children in the crowd blew bubbles, which flew in the wind for a brief moment before popping in the clear blue sky.