Marker for Andrea Gonzalez is delivered
By Staff
Melissa Cason
Nearly two decades after five-year-old Andrea Gonzalez was reported missing, the county that searched for her will be home to her memorial as a marker was delivered and set in front of the administrative building at the Franklin County Detention Center.
Sheriff Larry Plott said the story of the marker is a story all in itself.
Plott said once the news of the missing girl hit the national news, the owner of Loretto Monument in Loretto, Tenn. wanted to do something for the missing child so a marble marker was donated for the little girl at no charge.
"They brought it down here a while after she was missing, but there was question of where it should go so the owner took it back," Plott said.
Plott said everyone agreed the marker should remain in Franklin County, the place the girl called home.
Plott said they didn't have a place to put it. Even though both parents admitted in court that Andrea is dead, her body was never found.
Since the completion of the new jail, Plott and his staff have been working to get the marker brought down from Loretto, but there would be a charge for the service.
The Franklin County Domestic Violence Response Coalition discussed paying to have a the marker delivered. There was also discussion of placing benches out beside the marker and possibly a brick walkway. Those plans were not realized.
After making inquires about the cost to have the stone delivered, Plott was told they could do it at no charge, thanks to the new owner of the monument company.
"We called to see about getting it down here," Plott said. "That's when we were told it could be delivered at no charge."
The marker was delivered to Franklin County last week, and it sits beside the flagpole, where there are plans to place benches as mentioned earlier.
The stone is made of black marble, and has a picture on Andrea on the front. Below her picture reads:
And whoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck and he were cast in the sea. Mark 9:42.
"The picture is significant. The saying is significant. It's a special stone," Plott said about the marker.
Plott said there are plans to have the marker dedicated to Andrea and other missing and exploited children in the country.
The marker is expected to be dedicated later this summer with a ceremony for Andrea, which will be announced later.
Plott said the search for Andrea was the biggest use of man-hours in Franklin County.
"We had law enforcement and members of the community volunteer to look for her," Plott said.
Plott said he believes the whole story behind the girl's disappearance has not surfaced, but he believes the girl is probably deceased at this point.
"We still investigate leads and other tips on the case, but both parents said she is dead, so she probably is," Plott said.
