Six days after disappearing in North Fort Myers, Lee County deputies found 21-year-old Arielle Valdes' body late Monday morning. Investigators do not believe foul play is involved, nor do they believe anyone pushed Valdes.
Many people across the community came together to search for Valdes during the time she was missing. Now, the community as a whole is grieving.
Today, Valdes' sister and friends gathered at a North Fort Myers community park to share pictures of the 21-year-old and tell stories.
"Arielle appreciated all the beauties in life," her sister, Isabella Hergert, said. "Arielle was highly spiritual and we find peace in knowing this is bigger than us. The message she would want to say is to be present with your loved ones. Know what's important before it's taken away."
Hergert said spirituality played a big role in her sister's life. She brought one of Valdes' crystals to show us. Running gave Valdes peace, according to Hergert. The last video of the North Fort Myers woman alive was her running at the base of the Edison Bridge heading toward downtown.
Alongside Hergert, the Vazquez sisters sat in tears. They are related to Valdes' ex-boyfriend.
"Ari, what a beautiful soul," Shannon Vazquez said. "Her love, her wisdom, her insight and her self-awareness is something that she left us with to continue forward. I know now I will continue to live the rest of my life and journey, and it will be because she will still be with me. There's so much to love about her. She can be calm, she can be collected, but she can be so funny. And let me tell you, she was the best listener that I've ever met in my life."
Vazquez said Valdes helped her make friends and brought out the best in anyone around her.
"I think that she would find peace knowing we will continue to live in her name and in her honor. I know when we see the sky change colors, when we see the grass grow, when we see the flowers bloom, I will see her and I will feel her. I understand that God put us in each other's lives for a reason because she brought some families together and helped create beautiful friendships that will last a lifetime," she said.
Her sister, crying on her shoulder, read a letter out loud that she wrote to Valdes while processing her grief Monday night.
"You shine bright through me. I feel you within me showing me somehow, showing me new -- something new of this life without you. As you left us, the world shifted, I can feel it. It is no longer the same," Sasha Vazquez read. "You are showing me to be strong. To take care of myself. To not take things so seriously. Losing you shows me life is too short. That I must live it to the fullest without fear. You are our angel now in paradise, and I pray you enjoying this new journey of yours."
The Vazquez sisters said Valdes' ex-boyfriend was trying hard to stay strong amid the immense grief.
Down the line, Geovanna Berguin told stories of high school volleyball days with Valdes and school trips.
"When I think about our Arielle, I think of light; that's what she brought to every room she entered — greatness. She understood people so easily and truly," Berguin explained. "If she loved you, there was never any need to ask for reassurance of it. She made her love known frequently by doing little things like buying a cookie or a little trinket that reminded her of you."
Berguin echoed Hergert's sentiment about spirituality being the center of Valdes' life. She said, "She carried crystals with her everywhere she went and took the principles of yoga to heart as a way of life."
The avid runner was preparing for a marathon in October. In her honor, her sister and friends are planning to run a race in her place. Community members are also planning an event to honor the young woman. Details for that are still in the works.
All the women said Valdes never let on the fact she was struggling. They said she was always a listening ear, focusing on other people instead of herself.
Aileen Diaz said Valdes called her out of the blue two weeks ago, concerned something was going on. Diaz said the 21-year-old could feel it even without verbal communication.
She cried, thinking about the future without her best friend.
"It's just crazy knowing and really coming to terms with I will never hear her laughter again. I will never spend time going on trips with her. For me, I know she visits me, and she talks to me, and she lets me know, and I feel still so connected with her as I've always been. And she's not gone," Diaz said.
