People in Santa Fe are remembering a boy found buried in a shallow grave near Nambe one year after his death.

Several people gathered on Santa Fe’s westside overnight for a vigil to mark the one year anniversary of the death of Jeremiah Valencia. 

Photos from The Santa Fe New Mexican showed mourners lighting candles and joining family in prayer and reflection. 

They then released balloons in his honor.

According to The New Mexican, a relative said she “just wants people to remember Jeremiah the boy, not the way he died.”

Jeremiah’s body was found along a highway near Nambe in January.

Authorities say the boy’s mother, Tracy Pena, told another inmate it was late November when she came home and found Jeremiah dead.

Investigators say, Thomas Ferguson, Pena’s boyfriend, beat and killed Jeremiah. 

Pena, along with Ferguson’s son, Jordan Nunez, are still charged in the case for their alleged involvement. 

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