ATLANTA — For decades, one Atlanta nonprofit has been working to keep the memories of the city's missing and murdered children alive and honoring their memories.
The 45th annual Atlanta's Missing Murdered and Deceased Children Memorial Festival is the brainchild of Renee Lewis, whose father organized search parties over 40 years ago when children started mysteriously disappearing.
On Saturday, Jimmy Edwards came to the event to remember his cousin Anthony Carter, who disappeared while the pair played hide-and-seek in 1981.
"He went around the building and I never see him again," Edwards recalled.
Edwards said the purpose of the event is to exemplify that no child should be left behind and to keep the "light" -- the memories of these kids -- alive.
Pastor Yvest Mckenzie is one of the festival organizers. He said he was a child when kids and young men started disappearing throughout the city.
"My mom shipped me and my brother away to Seattle because of the fact it was happening right down the street from our house," McKenzie said.
He said Saturday's festival keeps the memories of those children who were lost alive and gives the community a place to celebrate the lives of other children who are currently missing or have died to get support.
"It's a never-ending saga for them where they continuously live it day by day," McKenzie said.
11Alive's More Than a Number series seeks to humanize crime coverage by "giving a face to the victim and a voice to the family." If you would like to honor a loved one you lost, you can use the form below or email us at MoreThanANumber@11alive.com to tell us about them, and we will add them to our memorial page.
If you need help or support in your time of loss, please visit our resource guide. For more details on this project, please visit 11alive.com/MoreThanANumber.