Santa Cruz remembers Maddy Middleton with birthday celebration

It’s been almost three months since Maddy Middleton was found dead outside of her Santa Cruz home. Monday October 5, 2015 would have been her 9th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, her mom organized a big birthday party for Maddy at Harvey West Park.

It was party many friends said Maddy would have loved. Just like many kid’s birthdays, there was a bouncy house, face painting and balloon animals – except this birthday girl was there in spirit.

“If what happened hadn’t happened we would all still be right here celebrating Maddy’s birthday, so why not?” said family friend Toni Riley.

In July, Maddy was found dead in a dumpster at the Tannery Arts Apartment Complex where she lived with her mother.

Riley said the party is a celebration ofMaddy’s life.

“We don’t want to forget her and the fact that she was so young, she didn’t have a lot of time to make an impact but she definitely did. So we just want to keep her spirit alive,” said Riley.

Friends said her birthday, designated “Maddy’s Day” by the city, will always be a celebration for the kids in Santa Cruz and help teach them how to deal with this kind of loss.

“I think it helps them learn to celebrate even sad things. That there can be joy and hardship at the same time,” said family friend Sarah Poulain.

Poulain attended the party with her 4-year-old son. She said explaining what happened to her child wasn’t easy.

“What I said to him this morning was that we were going to go to our friend Maddy’s birthday party, but that she wasn’t going to be there, but we are going to celebrate her and help her mommy have a beautiful day for Maddy’s birthday,” said Poulain.

Friends and family said they plan on having a big birthday party for Maddy every year to keep her memory alive.