The police have now been able to identify three of the five victims of Monday’s school bus wreck, along with some personal information.
Zyanna Harris
A close family friend of Zyanna says that she was a “sweet girl” who was never involved in drama.
“She was into dancing, cheering, anything girly,” 13-year-old Sireunya Eberhardt tells PEOPLE. “She was loving and very kind to her brothers and sisters. She was a family person and very friendly.”
Quiet and always smiling is how Sireunya remembers Zyanna. If you needed anything, she says, Zyanna was there to help. If her little brother fell, she’d pick him up and make sure he was okay.
Sireunya, who is friends with Zyanna’s older sister, found out that she died around 1 a.m. Tuesday.
“I just burst into tears. I didn’t know what to do. I just didn’t believe it was true,” she says. “We would’ve never really thought this would happen so soon.
“She barely got her foot in life to get to experience everything. But she’s in a better place.”
Cordayja Jones
Cordayja’s aunt tells PEOPLE the 9-year-old was among the dead.
“She didn’t meet any strangers,” Kellie Jones says. “She was my niece, but she was also my baby, too. She was very special. She is missed by so many people.”
Kellie says Cordayja’s mother and father have been hit hard by her death, understandably: “We’re trying to comfort each other. We’re trying,” Kellie says. “It’s hard. We find ourselves sitting back talking to her or reminiscing and then sometimes you just have to break down. I sat in my car last night and just broke down and screamed.”
Kellie says she learned about the crash Monday afternoon as she was getting off work, when a friend who works for the school called her. She learned Cordayja — who went by Dayja — had died as she drove to the scene.
“When I got to the hospital, I told [Cordayja], ‘I wish you could just breath for me,’ ” Kellie says. “I told her I loved her.”
Cordayja’s cousin, LaFrederick Thirkill, took to Facebook to share the family’s grief. “Our family appreciates your sympathy during this tragic incident,” he wrote.
“She was a sweet girl and will surely be missed.”
From People:
Zoie Nash
Zoie’s uncle Antwon McClain told the Times Free Press that the fourth-grader — the only girl in a family of brothers — loved playing softball, made good grades and was also on a dance team.
Zoie’s mother confirmed her death to PEOPLE. Misti Forrest Nash describes Zoie “a people person.”
“She was one of six — the only girl,” Misti says. “She couldn’t do nothing, she said she could never have a boyfriend. They all looked out for her.”
Misti says that Zoie’s younger brother Zecheriah, with whom she was “real close,” was on the bus with her when it crashed. Though he was initially in the ICU, his condition has improved.
“They always take that bus home,” Misti says.
She says she learned of the crash while at work, when Zachariah’s teacher called her. She didn’t know Zoie had died until she got to the hospital.
“It seems like a dream,” Misti says. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”
“[Zoie] was so lovable,” McClain, her uncle, told the Free Press. “She had a great spirit. She was a great athlete.”
Such a tragedy to lose these three beautiful young girls. It makes your heartache.