MINT HILL, N.C. — Students, friends, and members of the Mint Hill community grieved the loss of Kayla Campbell on Thursday.
The body of the 16-year-old girl, who had been missing since Sunday afternoon, was found in a pond off Pumpkin Way Drive around 12:15 a.m. Thursday.
Student after student showed up at the pond after school.
A memorial stood nearby, with a cross, stuffed animal, candle, and flowers.
"I just wanted to make sure she knew that we cared," Lindsey Hazen said.
At Independence High School, students left flowers by a rock spray-painted "RIP Kayla."
"We came to school today and everyone was just a wreck," Raine Mew said.
"I still can't believe that she's gone," Claire DeLuca said.
Police have not revealed what caused Kayla's death or said anything about looking for a suspect.
Lori Nance, parent of a student at the school, said Kayla's death is terribly sad and is now worried about her own daughter.
"It would be good to know what happened," she said. "Is there somebody else out here we need to worry about? I'm very concerned for the kids."
"At this time I would tell parents, you really probably don't need to worry," Lt. John Rowell with the Mint Hill Police Department said. "That's about all we can say. This is just an unfortunate situation"
Kayla's parents said she battled depression and was reported missing once in September when she didn't come home for a few hours.
But her mother said Kayla was getting counseling and medication and was improving.
DeLuca remembers her as always smiling.
"She was an amazing girl," she said. "The world is going to be so different now without her."
A spokesperson for the Campbell family said they plan to talk with her high school principal on Friday about organizing some kind of service to remember her.
WSOC
