Slain Child Remembered

Relatives carry the casket of 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman on Tuesday to her gravesite at Bentonville Cemetery. More than 200 people attended Jersey’s funeral at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers.
Relatives carry the casket of 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman on Tuesday to her gravesite at Bentonville Cemetery. More than 200 people attended Jersey’s funeral at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers.

— Hundreds gathered Tuesday to remember Jersey Dianne Bridgeman as the little girl who loved pink, purple and puppies, who played princess and listened to Justin Bieber.

Halfway through the service a small voice echoed in the back of the chapel.

“What? What?” the child said. “Jersey’s gone?”

Jersey was killed Nov. 20, six days after her sixth birthday. Her body was found at a vacant home near where she lived with her mother, DesaRae Bridgeman, at 704 S.E. A St. Police arrested her neighbor Zachary Holly on Monday night in connection with murder, kidnapping and residential burglary.

“Jersey had some tragedies brought on by people with no hearts, but she loved life,” reads a memorial booklet distributed at the service. “She laughed much and smiled more. She knew how to give love and receive love. She never let her spirit be totally broken because she felt real love from so many.”

Last year, then 5-year-old Jersey was chained to a dresser by her father and stepmother, both of whom are serving prison sentences for the abuse.

A photo slideshow during the service showed Jersey grinning in a tiara, perched on a 4-wheeler, dancing in a yellow tutu with glittery wings and posing with her mother and other family and friends. Jersey was remembered as a happy child.

“She lit up the room, as her grandpa said, when she walked in,” said Bob Rollins, founder of Rollins Funeral Home, who conducted the service.

Jersey is in the arms of Jesus, Rollins said, and she will never again suffer or be sad.

“There’s not a lot that I can say to help us on this day,” Rollins said. “Pray. Love God and ask for his help. We know he answers prayer. He answered one last night.”

Jersey’s white casket was surrounded by pink and purple flowers. Some mourners brought pink carnations tied with purple ribbons.

A couple of hundred people crowded into the chapel pews and lined a wall. More people filled the lobby, peering in the windows and chapel door. Jersey’s family, their friends and co-workers joined child advocates and police to honor her memory.

“It’s sad,” said Beverly Engle, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County. A memorial angel in Jersey’s honor will be placed on the grounds at the center.

Many of those who attended the funeral did not know Jersey, but were, like Engle, part of a community of support. Engle said she hopes that same community thinks of ways to do more and to be better at protecting children.

“No one wants a child to be hurt” she said.

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