17 lanterns for 17 years: Loved ones gather to remember homicide victim, Olivia Mackay

 

17-year-old Olivia Mackay's body was found on July 25th in a ditch along Louis Sorensen road in Mount Pleasant.

A private funeral was held Wednesday morning but later in the evening, family and friends gathered to remember Olivia at a vigil.

Those at the vigil not only wanted to honor her but they also wanted to support her family.  They sent 17 lanterns into the sky-- one for each year of Olivia's short life. 

Her dad wasn't ready to go in camera but Kelly MacKay said his daughter was determined and creative-- she loved learning about Asian culture and even taught herself Mandarin. She worked two jobs to pay for a trip to China.

Her best friend says even though Olivia was shy, she had the biggest heart

A fundraising site for funeral expenses was set up. Kelly says they will use the extra money to start a scholarship at Olivia's high school in her memory.

As far as the investigation, no arrests have been made but Kelly says they're looking at social media and cell phone records.