At vigil, grief for slain Gloucester City toddler

GLOUCESTER CITY - Ariana Smyth was supposed to enjoy a birthday party Friday, turning 2 years old with candles on a cake.

Instead, the toddler was mourned with a candlelight vigil near her home in Gloucester City, where authorities say Ariana was fatally injured during a sexual assault earlier this month.

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More than 100 people,including many children, gathered in Proprietors Park to sing "Happy Birthday" through tears and join hands during The Lord's Prayer. Youngsters blew bubbles that floated toward the nearby Delaware River.

Ariana died July 5, several days after she was allegedly raped and beaten by her mother's boyfriend, 22-year-old Michael Disporto Jr. of Manahawkin, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities said Disporto and the girl's mother, 26-year-old Amber Bobo, did not seek help for the injured toddler for several hours.

Members of the crowd expressed grief and bewilderment over the loss of the child whose face appeared, smiling and innocent, in multiple photo displays.

“She was a great baby, happy all the time,” recalled Gordon Hoard, who said he and his wife babysat Ariana several days a week while Bobo worked.

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Hoard, whose wife was too shaken to attend the event, described Bobo as "very quiet, soft-spoken." And she appeared to love her child, Hoard added, noting Bobo's Facebook page has multiple photos of the mother and Ariana sharing tender moments.

"Something went wrong," he said, shaking his head.

Two local women, Ty Hughes of Gloucester City and Nicole Tenuto of Oaklyn, organized the vigil to encourage community members to care for one another.

"It hurt me so bad in my heart that someone could do this to a child," said Hughes, who sobbed and grasped the hand of her 2-year-old daughter as she addressed the crowd.

"It makes me hold her a lot closer, a lot closer," she said.

Pastor Richard Gehret of First Baptist Church of Gloucester City told listeners Ariana "is safe and sound and being taken care of at this very moment."

"Now she's being raised in God's hands,"  he said as the sun set behind the group.

Many in the crowd wore blue to reflect the "Frozen" theme that would have marked a birthday party planned before Ariana's murder. Several people carried "Frozen" balloons; music from the children's movie played over a speaker.

“It touched my heart,” said Dorothy Sigafoos, who decorated the front steps of Ariana’s home on nearby King Street with candles, balloons and a stuffed animal. A makeshift memorial overflowed onto the sidewalk Friday evening.

“I have a 2-year-old grandchild," said Sigafoos. "I just tell her that little girl’s in heaven,"

Colleen Simmons of Gloucester City brought her 7-year-old daughter dressed as Princess Elsa, the star of "Frozen."

"We wanted to pray for the little girl that she has a happy life in heaven," the child said.

No family members spoke at the vigil. A separate ceremony was held Friday night in Barnegat, Ocean County, where the child was said to have relatives.

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Bobo has told investigators she became aware of her daughter's head injuries around 9 a.m. on July 3, then saw bruising to the child's genital area around 11 a.m. She did not call 911 until 6 p.m., when the child was described as "completely unresponsive."

During the day, the couple took the dying child with them during two visits to an area mall on Sunday, putting a hat on the girl to hide her bruises, authorities said.

Bobo told investigators Disporto initially minimized Ariana's injuries to dissuade her from calling for help, then raised concerns about what people might think. She said her boyfriend of two weeks also threatened to break up with her.

Authorities have charged Disporto with murder and aggravated sexual assault, and Bobo with endangering the welfare of a child.

Both are in Camden County Jail.

Jim Walsh; (856) 486-2646; jwalsh@gannettnj.com