ORLANDO, Fla. – Family and friends gathered at an Orlando church Monday to celebrate the life of Alexandria Chery.
Investigators said they believe they found the 16-year-old's body. The identity of the body still needs to be confirmed by the medical examiner's office.
Many of Chery''s friends are comforted knowing she was in church the day before she disappeared.
"At the end of the service she stopped one of our elders and asked, 'I want you to pray with me again so that I can remain strong in my faith,'" said David Jacques, the pastor at Kingdom Church.
A landscaper found a girl's body in Osceola County last week and detectives said they are almost certain it's Alexandria.
Her mother's live-in boyfriend, Sanel SaintSimon, is the prime suspect in her disappearance, but he hasn't been charged with murder. He is facing felony charges for tampering with evidence and lying to investigators.
Chery was last seen by her mom last Monday, the same-day surveillance video shows SaintSimon leave his job early, according to detectives.
They said he drove the black Pontiac he borrowed from his uncle to the apartment he shared with the teen and her mom. Two and a half hours later, video shows the car pulling out of the apartment complex.
Detectives found blood in the car and a witness saw it pulled over on the side of the road where the body was found.
As more horrific details come to light, Chery's friends are trying to focus on the beauty of her spirit.
"I know that she's in heaven and she's at peace within God, and I know that she is smiling down on us with that big smile," said Whitney Mathis.
SaintSimon will be making his first appearance before a judge on Tuesday afternoon.