A family friend is thanking local police after officers went “above and beyond” to help preserve the memory of a little girl.
Kim Hunter wrote on Facebook that her friends Stephen and Rebekah Caslick experienced the unimaginable sudden loss of their 4-year-old daughter Jillian, on March 3.
Over a month after her passing, in early April, thunderstorms revealed face and fingerprints on windows, made by the little girl. The family posted photos of the imprints on April 7 and asked if anyone knew how they could be preserved.
Hunter reached out to the London Police Service and said “within a few hours” officers were already at the home.
“Thank you to the detective that came to the house and the department for going above and beyond the call of duty in these very unprecedented times,” Hunter wrote, noting the actions of police were especially appreciated amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Everyone that knows the Caslick family or has even heard of Jillian’s passing all wished we could do or say something that would ease their pain even the tiniest amount — your gift to them is a gift to us all.”
London police spokesperson Const. Sandasha Bough says the officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, used fingerprint powder to enhance the impressions on the window and then used tape to lift the impression and transfer it to a fingerprint card, in what is called a “latent print.”
“We are all part of this community. We don’t just work in this community, we live here and raise our families here. For that officer to be able to help that family out is nothing less than what we’d want for ourselves,” Bough added.
“It’s a side of policing that people all too often forget about, but which we do on a daily basis.”
An obituary said that Jillian died while “peacefully snuggled into her bed at home” and described her as the “darling and forever cherished daughter” of the Caslicks and “adored sister” of two brothers. The family asked that those wishing to make a donation in her memory consider the Children’s Health Foundation.