Murdered Rochester teen laid to rest; No arrests yet made

Friends and family gather to remember Jakarah Lopez-Moore

Friends and family gather to remember Jakarah Lopez-Moore

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Jakarah Lopez-Moore’s family laid her to rest Friday.

The 16-year-old girl was murdered after going missing in Rochester.

Many of the mourners inside Miracle Valley Deliverance wore pink, her favorite color, as they gathered to celebrate her short life.

Jakarah Lopez-Moore(File photo)

The Edison Technology student was last seen on the morning of Aug. 27. Her family reported her missing two days later. Rochester Police warned she may be in danger.

Almost two months later, her body was found in woods on Vanguard Parkway. She had been murdered. Police suspect her remains had been there for a month.

At Friday’s service, her family thanked the community for supporting them. That includes the Memories Funeral Home which wanted to take as much weight off of the family as possible.

“When they called, I basically told them that, you know, because of the circumstance, that I wouldn’t be charging them anything, because of the circumstance and what they went through, what she went through. I felt like it was a community service and whoever could reach out, they wrote, they reached out to church, and a couple other people reached out to help the family through this time,” Shawn Watson, funeral director and owner, said.

The funeral program for Jakarah Lopez-Moore

Jakarah was remembered as a girl who spoke her mind, who stood up for herself and anyone she felt wasn’t being heard.

She loved music, was loyal to her family, and dreamt of being a nurse, a truck driver, and a mechanic. She aspired to buy homes for her grandmother, mother and siblings.

She was strongly for and about her family and if she counted you in that, it was an honor and a privilege.

– excerpt from Jakarah’s funeral program

Rochester Police have not made any arrests nor disclosed Jakarah’s cause of death. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.