THE tragic death of 12-yearold Mercedez Layne of Erin has sparked outrage across the country, as people have expressed grief, anger and frustration over the loss of another young life.

The killing of young Mercedez within her community had citizens yesterday voicing concerns about the safety of children in their own communities, and reigniting calls for justice from citizens who have not yet come to terms with last year's death of Mariah Seenath, 13.

A post-mortem on Mercedez yesterday stated the cause of death was due to blunt force trauma, as was the case with Mariah, who also sustained blunt force trauma, with severe head injuries.