Friends hold vigil for Rolling Meadows teen slain in Mexico

Dozens of suburban teens gathered at a Mount Prospect apartment complex Tuesday night to stand vigil for a classmate found slain Christmas Eve in Mexico.

Braving bitter winds, they brought bouquets of flowers, balloons, signs and candles to honor 18-year-old Alexis Marron of Rolling Meadows, whose body was among three discovered in the trunk of a torched car Saturday.

They described the Rolling Meadows High School senior as soft-spoken and shy, as someone who always listened when others were upset or needed advice, as a young man who supported his friends and encouraged them when they needed a push.

"He was like a brother to me," said Joel Muneton, 17, who hastily organized the gathering. "He left a mark on everyone, and he will be missed."

Marron had been in Mexico visiting family since Dec. 3, Muneton said.

He and two other men were found dead near the town of Ixtlan de Los Hervores in the Mexican state of Michoachan, about 80 miles southeast of Guadalajara, according to news reports.

The car belonged to one of the victims, a 24-year-old man whose sister told authorities her brother was giving Alexis a ride to go see his girlfriend, a police spokeswoman said. The third victim was 21, newspaper reports said.

The men were burned alive in the car, a ministerial police representative said.

"From what their families say, they were not involved in any sort of trouble," police said.

The investigation continued Tuesday, Mexican authorities said. No arrests have been made.

Word of Marron's death spread quickly through the Rolling Meadows High community, through Facebook and other means.

The vigil was staged in a small, grassy area between Muneton's building and another. After a prayer was quietly recited in Spanish, the teens said little to each other.

With some younger children among them, they stood together and placed their flowers and candles on a short table. A recording of traditional Mexican music played from a cellphone placed among the items.

Rolling Meadows High senior Youned Sarabia was among the teens at the vigil. She said she was "devastated" when she heard the horrible news Saturday.

"When it hit me, I cried my eyes out," Sarabia said.

Sarabia grew up with Marron. She said her friend got a long with everybody.

She remembered Marron helping a classmate who was struggling in school and considering dropping out. He persuaded the friend to stay in school, she said.

Another Rolling Meadows senior, Kyle Gentile, remembered how Marron always had a smile.

"I don't understand how any of this could happen," Gentile said in a telephone interview. "He never did anything wrong, and what happened to him was just so terrible."

Gentile and fellow Rolling Meadows senior Brandon Leo are organizing a memorial in front of Marron's locker Jan. 3, the day students return from winter break. They are asking students to bring photos and notes that day.

Leo said while he wasn't a close friend of Marron, they met in second grade and grew up together. He remembers him as a "great guy" who "always put a smile on everyone's face."

"I just want to show the family that we miss him and we're all here for support," he said in a telephone interview.

Karina Bran, who attended Carl Sandburg Junior High School in Rolling Meadows with Marron, said she remembers meeting him in seventh grade, when he sat near her in a class.

"He wrote me a little note that said 'You're awesome,'" the 17-year-old said in a telephone interview, adding that even though she lost touch with Marron she kept his note because it made her smile. "He really liked helping people and making them smile and laugh."

Rolling Meadows High School Principal Eileen Hart issued a statement Tuesday explaining the plans the school has for when students return.

"The Rolling Meadows High School community is deeply saddened by the loss of Alexis Marron," the statement read. "In order to support students and staff, we will be holding a faculty meeting prior to the students arrival to Rolling Meadows High School on the first day back from the conclusion of the winter break."

Rooms will be set up for students and faculty to meet with experienced counselors, psychologists and social workers, Hart said. Additional support will come from experts at other District 214 schools and community resources, such as Alexian Brothers.

"We will continue to articulate and meet as a leadership and crises team in order to work together to meet the needs of our school and keep communication lines open during this extremely sad and difficult time," the statement reads.

U.S. State Department officials had no additional information about the murders Tuesday.

Sixty-five American citizens were reported murdered in Mexico between Jan. 1 and June 18, the department reported. One of those homicides occurred in Michoacan.