San Diego Reader

February 13, 2012, marked the three-year anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of young teen Amber DuBois.

Family, friends, Team Amber search-and-rescue volunteers, neighbors, and other supporters gathered together at the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Marcos for a memorial dinner that was punctuated by the laughter of children. Their parents shared stories about Amber, who loved reading and animals and had a wonderful sense of humor.

At 8:30 p.m., a candlelight vigil was held on Stanley Avenue and Broadway, near where Amber was walking to school on the day she was kidnapped. Dozens of hands held flickering candles. A poem was read clear and strong by a young man, and a woman sang a song about love and loss. The scent of flowers mingled with the clean breeze that followed recently fallen rain.