Community rallies around family of slain five-year-old

Clare Shelswell, shown in this undated photo, was five years old when she was killed in Washington State. July 2, 2010. (CTV)

The congregation of an Abbotsford, B.C., church got an unexpected treat last year when five-year-old Clare Shelswell said a deeply moving prayer that touched the tight-knit community now shocked by her death.

Children at Mountain Park Community Church were invited to bring special items to the alter that Sunday morning and say a few words during the service, usually something like "Thank you for today."

Far more flowed forth from the bespectacled little blond girl that day.

"She could articulate things in her soul, her heart, that few adults can," associate pastor Cam Stuart said Friday in an interview.

"There were people who had been part of the faith community all their life, and they said, 'She prayed better than I did."'

An outpouring of prayers are now emanating from the community for the girl's family, reeling after her throat was slashed at a vacation home in Washington state last Sunday.

Her stepfather, Peter Wilson, 29, is in custody in the first-degree murder investigation.

On Friday, the family's hometown church came together to announce a trust fund in Shelswell's memory to support her mother and nine-year-old sister Suzy.

The proceeds will help "as they discover their new life in light of this tragedy," Stuart said.

More information on the fun is available at the Mountain Park Community Church website.

The community is experiencing "shock, disbelief, anger," but also "a tremendous desire to support and help," he said, adding many local services and agencies are pitching in to provide whatever they can.

The principal at the girl's school told those gathered at the church that Shelswell arrived every day with a big smile and a hug for her teachers.

Her favourite place was the classroom art centre, where "she could be found making cards to express her love for others," said Carla Danielsson of Godson Elementary School.

She said grief counsellors attended the school on Tuesday, the last day of classes, to help children, teachers and parents cope with the tragedy.

Clare's funeral will be held at the church next Wednesday afternoon.

American authorities say Wilson confessed to killing his stepdaughter after they attended a 911 call from the home in Hoodsport, near Seattle, where the family had been staying for only a few days.

Wilson allegedly told police at the scene that he "knowingly" killed the girl with a knife found on the kitchen counter.

Her mother told them the dispute unfolded after the couple discussed discipline issues about their daughter.

Her husband told her "not to worry" and "he would take care of it," police have said.

The couple has told police Wilson takes medication for bipolar disorder. His bail was set at $3 million.