Crime & Safety
Lantern Vigil at NIU Honors Toni Keller
The 18-year-old Plainfield woman was killed a year ago in a park near Northern Illinois University, where she was a student.
More than 50 people gathered at the edge of Northern Illinois University’s East Lagoon in DeKalb Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil in honor of slain student .
, was killed last October. Friday marked the one-year anniversary of her initial disappearance.
As Beatles tunes played over a speaker -- a nod to one of Keller's favorite bands -- students and community members lit water lanterns and sent them floating out on the lagoon.
Find out what's happening in Plainfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The world lost a friend,” Huskies United President Jackie Lopez said as the vigil began. “We hope this helps.”
Huskies United, a student group, organized the vigil.
Find out what's happening in Plainfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We miss you and love you, Toni,” Lopez said. “You will forever be in our hearts.”
Many who attended the vigil said they came to memorialize Keller.
“I just think it’s important to remember what happened to her,” said Lauren LaPaglia, a Naperville native and NIU student.
On Oct. 14, 2010, Keller told friends she was going to a park close to campus to work on an art project. When she didn't return, Keller was reported missing and a citywide search commenced.
Two days later, police found charred remains in the park and personal effects believed to be Keller’s nearby. The case was reclassified as a death investigation.
“The situation was a disturbing one,” said Shannon Thomas, a Chicago native and NIU student. “It really hit home for us ... it was alarming for us and our school.”
, of DeKalb, was arrested for the murder in late October 2010. He's awaiting trial on seven counts of first-degree murder and single counts of criminal sexual assault and arson. Police described his actions as a "crime of opportunity."
Lopez said it wasn’t necessary to know Keller in order to empathize; she said her murder was something that affected NIU students and DeKalb residents alike.
“We organized this not only to remember her, but to honor her life,” Lopez said. “You didn’t have to know her; she was one of us. It could have happened to anyone.”
Lopez said the vigil received a “really good response” from the community.
“No one will forget Toni Keller,” Lopez said.
