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Former neighbors organize vigil for slain Putnam County boys

Former teammates, classmates and neighbors gather to remember Robert and Tayten Baker

Robert and Tayten Baker (Kim Rigney/GoFundMe)

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Friends and loved ones gathered Wednesday evening to remember two brothers who were killed last week in their Melrose home.

The vigil in honor of Robert Baker, 12, and Tayten Baker, 14, was held in Mulberry in Polk County, where the family lived before recently moving to Putnam County.

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The vigil was organized by the family’s former neighbors, including Chelsea Coyner.

“It’s a small town. Everybody knows everybody, and that’s how it was. We’re all family here, and to see something like this, it hurt,” Coyner told WFTS-TV.

Dozens of former teammates, classmates and neighbors attended the vigil.

Mark Wilson Jr., 30, who was identified as the boyfriend of the boys’ aunt, is charged with first-degree murder in the boys’ deaths.


About the Authors
Corley Peel headshot

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.

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