Tragedy as teenage girl, 15, who 'lit up every room' is killed outside her church
The victim, identified as Aleia Kuhn, was struck in the parking lot of Philippi Baptist Church in Henry County in what authorities have described as a heartbreaking accident with no criminal intent.
Aleia's death has devastated the tight-knit community in eastern Georgia, where she was known as a vibrant, kind-hearted teenager who 'lit up every room' she entered.
In the days since her death last Wednesday a vigil was held outside the church in the same parking lot where the teenager died.
Hundreds turned out from across the community to pay tribute to the popular girl.
Her mother, Amanda Schroeder-Kuhn, called her 'my backbone and my heart,' and said her daughter 'loved so big' and lived with a deep faith.
The exact details of the accident remain under investigation, but authorities have only confirmed that it occurred in the church parking lot as Aleia was leaving.
The teen was just weeks away from celebrating her 16th birthday.
'She was my backbone and my heart,' her mother, Amanda Schroeder-Kuhn wrote on Facebook in a tribute to her daughter. 'I wasn't ready for Him to want her back already.
'She was too good for this earth and her testimony and love for Jesus will live through me forever. I don't know how to live a life without her so all the all the prayers are being felt and giving comfort to all her friends and family.'
An obituary painted some more personal details about Aleia including how she loved Nerd Clusters, Kinder chocolate, and salt & vinegar chips. She had a love for Chick-fil-A, especially if it was with 'all the ranch.'
'She loved with her whole heart. She forgave fast. She made people feel seen and safe, every single day,' reporter Kaitlyn Ross shared in a moving tribute on 11Alive. 'No one was ready. And no one ever will be.'
Youth group leaders at Philippi Baptist Church say Aleia was the kind of student who lifted others up and that if a kid sat alone, she would go to sit with them.
In the days since the accident, the Kuhn family has been surrounded by an outpouring of love with hundreds paying their respects online.
Caring for a Cause, a local nonprofit, launched a memorial fund to support funeral services and the family's needs during their time of grief.
'Aleia's life was short, but her impact was immeasurable,' her family wrote. 'Though our selfishness wants her back, we know that if she had the choice, she wouldn't come back. Heaven is too beautiful, and her joy there is complete.'
She leaves behind her loving parents, Chris and Amanda Kuhn; her brothers Corben and Colter Kuhn; and a large extended family of grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, classmates, and church friends - all shattered by the sudden loss.
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