Photo by Bill Green A group of children sit at a candlelit memorial vigil for the Rodriguez family Thursday night on McCain Drive.

The little girl, who didn't yet know English, appeared a bit bewildered to have been left with a roomful of people she didn't know and didn't understand. Despite the language barrier, Elsa was always willing to participate.

When she saw other children raising their hands to answer a question, Elsa would raise her hand, Anderson said with a smile. Elsa didn't know why, but she figured that must be what to do.

The shy little girl with the wonderful smile was open and trusting and happily came back each day, classroom assistant Angela Gladchuk said.

Her mother would come to pick her up and Elsa would point out blocks and other objects to her younger sister, Vanessa, and tell her how to say the words in English, Anderson said.

Anderson and Gladchuk shared their memories of their former pupil and her family at a candlelight vigil Thursday.

Elsa, 9, and her three younger siblings -- Vanessa, 4, Angel, 3, who was commonly called Pedro; and Carena, 1, were found dead Monday in the family's house on Danielle Drive. Their father, Pedro Rodriguez, was found hanged from a stairwell banister. Their mother, Deysi M. Benitez, is missing.

Police have few leads and a search of a pond near the Rodriguez/Benitez house Thursday yielded nothing.

Thursday evening, a crowd of more than 150 people gathered near the house to listen as prayers and songs were offered. Anthony Budd said he didn't know Rodriguez, Benitez or their children.

"I came because it is the right thing to do," he said.

He lives in the Hillcrest area and has children of his own. He believes it is important the neighborhood show support and concern for the family, particularly because Rodriguez and Benitez didn't have many relatives in Maryland. Their parents and most of their siblings live in El Salvador.

Budd also hopes the vigil will unite people to prevent this type of tragedy from happening again.

"Maybe this will trigger our community to come together to stop violence of any kind," he said.

Nathaniel Harris, director of the Frederick County Chapter of the Victims Rights Foundation Inc., organized the vigil. Although he was acting in a professional capacity, he also had personal motivation. He lives a few doors away from the Rodriguez/Benitez house.

He wanted to create something positive out of something negative, he said. He hopes the vigil will encourage neighbors to reach out to one another.

Gladchuk and Anderson have the same hope.

Many parents can relate to the stresses the young family faced, Gladchuk said. It is a struggle to raise children, to be immigrants learning to adapt to new customs and a new language, to have bills coming in and a mortgage to pay.

Perhaps the deaths will inspire people to look out for one another and realize it is OK to ask for help.

Benitez and Rodriguez seemed to be devoted parents who left their homeland to provide their children with opportunities, Gladchuk said.

It's tragic that the children will never be able to realize those opportunities, she said.