MURDERED schoolgirl Fatima Cecelia Aldrighett was laid to rest amid protests over a spate of brutal killings of women in Mexico.
Little Fatima, just seven-years-old was snatched from her school gates by a stranger and later found dead, tortured and wrapped in plastic.
Late yesterday, Mexico City police confirmed they had identified the woman who snatched Fatima, and searched a home where some of the girl’s things were found.
Family and neighbors packed a street in the southern borough of Tlahuac to remember the little girl.
The priest leading the service read a message that acknowledged the indignation felt and urged them to not simply accept the atmosphere of crime as the norm.
Marisol Mercado Angeles, whose son was a school friend of Fatima’s said: “We’re without words.
“It’s something as difficult as it is painful.”
She added: “There’s no security at the school… I think [the school] is responsible”.
The lower house of Mexico’s Congress also held a moment of silence Tuesday for Fatima, whose case has sparked outrage.
The cause of her death is yet to be released.
The little girl was laid to rest in front of grieving relatives and neighbours on Mexico City’s south side.
The funeral procession pointedly paused outside the door of Fatima’s school.
It was plastered with signs demanding justice.
Signs also urged parents to pick their children up promptly to avoid similar incidents.
Mexico City prosecutor Ernestina Godoy revealed Fatima had recognized the woman who was seen leading her away and so the pair were allowed to leave together.
The revelation comes after Fatima’s mum, Maria Magdalena Anton insists a local man is involved.
Fatima’s family have pointed the finger at cops for failing to protect her.
Her aunt, Sonia says that “nobody listened to us” when they originally reported the girl missing.
The family have accused a man called Herrera of being involved, and say he has orchestrated attacks on the family before.
Cops have insisted tighter protocols will now be in place for schoolchildren.
Authorities lost a full day in the search for Fatima because they waited for a formal missing-person case file to be opened.
The discovery of Fatima’s body was made just days after after 25-year-old student, ingrid Escamilla was stabbed to death and skinned by her husband.
Protests have swept Mexico City, with activists branding signs with the girls’ faces on and the hashtag #JuticiaParaFatima, meaning Justice for Fatima became a top global trend.
Forensic workers leaked pictures of Ingrid Escamilla’s corpse to the press sparking outrage as the rate of violent crime against women continues to rise in the country.
Protesters took to the city’s streets, marching from president’s house to the offices of La Presna, the newspaper that published the gruesome image.
The furious demonstrators daubed the walls of Mexico’s national palace in blood-red paint, scrawling “femicide state”.
Ten women are killed a day in Mexico and victims of femicide are on the up.
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