11-year-old daughter remembers mom killed while trying to save baby from kidnapper

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    PEORIA, AZ (KTVK/KPHO) — As friends and family gathered for a Wednesday afternoon vigil to remember Brittany Walker, the mother who was killed while trying to protect her baby from being kidnapped by his father, her 11-year-old daughter, Prudence, sobbed into a new teddy bear.

“I love her so much!” she cried.

There was a procession, of sorts, as loved ones brought balloons, posters, and candles to honor the mother whose last selfless act was to protect her baby in a Peoria neighborhood. Police say Walker was loading her 10-month-old baby Abel Maes into a minivan when her ex (and Abel’s father), Eric Maes, jumped into the van and stole it with Abel inside. Walker jumped onto the van and held on until she was thrown from it. She eventually died from her injuries.

At the vigil, Prudence told family members she wanted to say something about her mom.

“She was my mommy. She was always there for us,” she said.

Lindsey described Brittany’s relationship with Maes as abusive, and she says Brittany worked hard to get away from it.

The roadside vigil at 91st Avenue and Deer Valley Road in Peoria was full of hugs and tears as family and friends recalled the type of mother Walker was.

“She is a solid mother. She died for her son. She died trying to save little Abel,” said her best friend, Heather Giard.

“That baby was her life. She doted on that kid,” said her sister-in-law Lindsey Walker.

Loved ones at the vigil were wearing mostly purple, as a nod to domestic violence awareness. Lindsey described Brittany’s relationship with Maes as abusive, and she says Brittany worked hard to get away from it. She had moved in with her brother’s family last summer and started working 12-hour days to one day secure an apartment for herself and her two kids. She finally got the apartment and was going to move into it on Friday.

The group at the vigil had no love lost for Maes; they cheered when they got the news that he’d been caught. Even that, however, couldn’t lift the somber mood as they remembered Brittany.

“She had the beautifulest (sic) spirit I have ever seen,” Lindsey said. “It didn’t matter if anybody was mad at her or not. She’d try to make you happy.”

Lindsey says Abel, who was found safe on the doorstep of a Phoenix home, will be returned to the family sometime soon.

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