Moberly church acts as hub for community mental health support following teen’s death

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Randolph County community came together Friday to offer mental health support and healing resources for those grieving the loss of 16-year-old Kayla Huff.

The first “Day of Healing” comes as the Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office announced new charges in the case. Twenty-year-old Alayna Mason and 19-year-old Hunter Ames are now both charged with first-degree murder in connection to Huff’s death. Two others are charged with kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

Licensed counselors, social workers and a crisis incident team from the state shared their services at the church throughout the day.

The Rev. Randy Paxton, of Immanuel Baptist Church, said the idea for the event "Day of Healing" began during the community’s search for Kayla.

As hundreds of people searched for the missing teen, Paxton said he could see the emotional toll it was taking on friends, families and even strangers across the community.

"They needed something." Paxton said. "Whether it was a shoulder to cry on, whether somebody to talk too just somebody to wrap their arms around them and let them feel loved,"

Family friends said Immanuel Baptist Church was like a second home to Kayla. Now, it has become a place where people are gathering to grieve together and support one another through heartbreak.

Huff’s best friend, Christina Wilson, said she learned about her death Thursday.

“I did what any person would do,” Wilson said. “I started crying, and I was like, this can’t be real.”

Wilson said as the hours turned into days during the search for Kayla, she began to feel something was wrong. She said she stopped sleeping and lost her appetite while hoping her friend would be found safe.

“There were days my mom would tell me, ‘You’re drained, kid. Get some sleep,’” Wilson said. “But I couldn’t. I just wanted to find Kayla.”

Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Luntsford said the case has deeply affected the community because Huff reminds people of someone they know, a daughter, a friend or the girl next door.

“It hits home,” Luntsford said. “Something like this happened in our own backyard.”

Ann Elliot and Dana Woods were among those providing mental health services Saturday. Woods said the Crisis Intervention Team deployed counselors and crisis intervention services to Huff’s school to support both students and staff.

"Not only the children but the staff, because the staff are kind of in autopilot right now, and they're going to need somebody to kind of be there to help them deal with the situation," Woods said.

The “Day of Healing” will continue 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Immanuel Baptist Church. Organizers said they expect an even larger turnout as more people are able to attend after school and work. A vigil honoring Huff is also scheduled for 7 p.m.

“People can write messages to Kayla, or actually this will go to her parents, to show how much people cared about her and the impact she made in her young life, especially in this church,” Elliot said.