"We've always told our niece that that was her way of getting her message to her mom, by sending a balloon," said Brittany Jones, sister of the fourth victim, Whitnei Dubois. "I know some people might think it's morbid, but that's our way of dealing with it."
Jones said she appreciated documentary filmmaker Paul Nixon taking the time to arrange Wednesday's memorial service as he completes his work and heads back to Switzerland for editing.
Nixon visited Jennings for the second time last week, interviewing family members, police officials and others about the unsolved murders of Loretta Chaisson, Ernestine Daniels Patterson, Kristen Lopez, Dubois, "Muggy" Brown, Crystal Shay Zeno, Brittney Gary and Necole Guillory.