FORT MYERS, Fla. — It's been nearly two weeks since a 21-year-old woman went missing from North Fort Myers. Now, some of the same people who helped in the 5-day-long search for Arielle Valdes came together again in her honor Sunday evening.
“It brought the community together in ways I have seriously never seen before," said Tiffany Barker, the organizer for the Arielle Valdes memorial walk.
It's been nearly a week since the Lee County Sheriff’s Office found a body in the Caloosahatchee River that they presumed to be Valdes.
However, it hasn't stopped the community from gathering in her memory and uplifting Arielle's family in this tragic time.
Watch Bella's full report below.
“Living here my whole life, I’ve never seen this many strangers coming together and working together putting all differences aside, to work as a team, and find Arielle, and bring her home," said Barker.
Tiffany Barker and Allison Johnson have both lived in the area their whole lives and although they did not know Arielle or her family before, they say through the search efforts they have made their own unique type of family.
“No matter what happened we’re a community first, we’re humanitarians first, and that’s why I think Arielle brought us together," said Johnson.
