The loved ones gathered over the weekend at a memorial service for 7-year-old Julissia Batties, who was shortly after she was allowed to live with her mother for the first time since her mother lost custody of her when she was a baby Injuries died.

Dozens turned up for the vigil on Sunday evening to share prayers and light candles that were placed to spell Julissia’s initials in front of photos, flowers, and a stuffed animal.

“She was a good kid. She didn’t cause any problems. And we loved her, ”said her grandmother Yolanda Davis during the ceremony, which was taped on Facebook Live. “She died at a young age … she loved everything. Deeply … We know that she is better now … [God] took her home because I did everything I could. “

Now says Davis, who says she raised Julissia for most of the little girl’s life after her mother lost custody of her when she was only a few days old, and says she is not allowed to do that Claiming girl’s body and planning a funeral even though she has raised her for most of her life.

Instead, Davis is told that Julissia’s mother and aunt would be making arrangements for her body, WPIX reported.

“That’s wrong,” Davis told WPIX. “This child died in her mother’s care.”

Julissia had been living with Davis in their Brooklyn home until about March 2020 when Davis allowed her to spend the weekend with her mother, 35-year-old Navasia Jones, according to WPIX.

Julissia was never brought back, and the Child Services Administration allowed Julissia to stay with her mother at the Mitchel Houses, an affordable housing complex in the Bronx, “because of the pandemic,” Davis told WPIX.

“I did my best to regain custody of her to lead a normal life,” Davis said in a statement on GoFundMe. “Because of the pandemic there were limited resources, help and unfortunately the courts were closed and my voice went deaf” ears. “

An Administration for Children’s Services spokesman told Inside Edition Digital, “Our number one priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City.”

Last Tuesday morning, Julissia was discovered “lying face up on the floor of a bedroom, unconscious and unresponsive,” WPIX reported, citing a law enforcement source.

“I tried to protect them from harm and abuse, but I couldn’t win,” Davis said on a GoFundMe page. “Unfortunately we are here.”

Family members who had been at the Bronx apartment the morning of Julissia’s death now appear to be making contradicting statements.

Jones reportedly told police that she woke up at 5 a.m. to find Julissia in the bathroom vomiting and urinating on herself, the New York Daily News reported. She said Julissia then hit her head and the girl’s 17-year-old half-brother carried her into the bedroom, where she passed out and hit her head for the second time, the Daily News reported, citing sources.

However, the 17-year-old half-brother allegedly claimed Julissia spent the night grabbing snacks from the kitchen and then vomiting in the bedroom, according to the Daily News. He allegedly admitted beating Julissia twice and then told police he hit her eight times, the Daily News reported.

He then said Julissia fell asleep on the living room couch and the family later discovered she was choking when her hands turned white, according to the Daily News.

“Why did you do this to my child?” Julissia’s father Julius Batties told WPIX. He said he was never allowed to live with Jones or Julissia after Jones filed numerous domestic violence complaints against him, all of which he believed were false, WPIX reported.

Julissia loved watching TikTok videos, said a woman who led a prayer at her vigil.

She enjoyed playing with toys and her four cousins, Davis said. “She had a lovely childhood with lots of love, happiness and I would give anything to have her back with us,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.

No one was charged in connection with Julissia’s death until Wednesday afternoon. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident, the NYPD told Inside Edition Digital.

The Administration of Children’s Services is working with the NYPD to investigate.

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