Bristow Community Gathered In Support Of Murdered Five-Year-Old

A Creek County community is sharing a powerful message of hope after a five-year old girl was murdered last week.

The community of Bristow held a prayer vigil Sunday night for Adley Grace Mason and her family. Pastor John Tidwell organized the prayer vigil and said he knew Adley as someone who could light up a room.

“I can tell you that her loss here on Earth is making heaven sweeter,” Tidwell said. “She was wonderful and was so full of life. She was a sassy five-year-old girl, absolutely beautiful and she had a presence bigger than her.”

Adley’s family confirmed to investigators that it was her body found beaten and bruised in a creek in Gypsy last week. Her father, Adam Mason, is charged with first-degree murder for her death.

Tidwell said she was supposed to start kindergarten on Monday.

“You could imagine something so tragic and so unexpected that it sent shockwaves all the way through the community,” Tidwell said. “We wanted to have an event tonight for Adley’s mother, Ashley, and her family and our church family and the community. We all need that opportunity to share hope with one another.”

Tidwell said the focus of the vigil was not on Adley's death, but on the impact of her life.

People who came to the vigil had the opportunity to light a candle and pray with one another. During a time of darkness and grief, Tidwell said an event like this can be an opportunity for the Bristow community to help each other find light and hope.

“I think it's a picture of community with keeping the candles lit and everybody was represented. They have a part to play in the memorial tonight,” Tidwell said. “We live in a dark world, and the darker the dark, the brighter the light.”

Tidwell said there is an account set up at the Community Bank in Bristow to help Adley’s family with funeral expenses. The account is under the name Adley Grace.

He also says there is a PayPal account set up to make a donation online. You can find the link here.