Poignant image to be placed on plaque for slain children

The haunting image of a maple tree with an empty swing and a teddy bear will be on a plaque at a memorial to Nevada's slain children.

Organizer Tonja Brown said Tuesday the plaque is being created by Metallic Art Co. in Dayton and will be dedicated, along with a live maple tree and a bench, on April 23 near the Nevada Supreme Court building on the Capitol grounds.

Brown initially asked the public's help to raise $3,500 to complete the task, but when Reno Gallery of Furniture donated the total cost of the Carson City memorial, Brown decided she'd instead ask for donations to fund similar memorials across Nevada.

"I'm looking to establish a living tree memorial in every county in the state," she said.

She said the memorial is for "all children in Nevada who have lost their lives at the hands of another."

The idea came about following the removal of a controversial 8-foot-tall steel cross that marked the spot along Highway 50 West where Krystal Steadman's body was found March 20, 2002, Brown said.

Nine-year-old Krystal disappeared from a Stateline apartment complex the day before and was sexually assaulted before her battered body was left on the roadside.

The Nevada Department of Transportation removed the cross in December after an unnamed Reno man threatened to file a lawsuit saying the cross violated the separation of church and state because it was on state land.

To donate money to the statewide memorial tree project or for information, contact Brown at nvmemorialfund@aol.com. Donations can also be made to a nonprofit fund set up at Nevada State Bank, account No. 0622003929

Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.