Community remembers Milton teen killed in boating accident in Aruba

MILTON, Mass. — Colorful bows symbolic of Cassidy Murray’s vibrant personality line the Milton street where she should be returning home soon.

Instead, neighbors will embrace her heartbroken family after a vacation that ended in tragedy.

The 13-year-old was killed in a boating accident Wednesday while in Aruba with her parents and older brother.

“She was just something that made the world a better place,” said neighbor and family friend Ed Keohane. “It’s a total shock. It’s kind of like a horror movie screen play has come to life. This was such a special little girl. She was someone that bounded down the street, played with the dog, would sit out on the front steps with her family. You could hear her laugh.”

Keohane’s four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter adored Cassidy as a babysitter.

“She was the first little girl my four-year-old told me that he was going to marry,” Keohane said. “So, to have to not only absorb the news yesterday but actually tell our kids that was probably the hardest thing that we’ve ever done as a mom and a dad.”

Cassidy was a beloved seventh grader at Buckingham Browne and Nichols, a private school in Cambridge. Her older brother, Adam, is a tenth grader at the school.

“She oozed kindness,” said Jennifer Price, Head of School at BB&N. “She’s one of those once-in-a-generation kind of kids who just brings folks together.”

At Metro South Gymnastics Academy in Canton, where Cassidy trained and competed statewide and nationally for about five years, co-owner and coach Laura Buczek grieved the loss with the kids at the gym.

“Cassidy was an awesome teammate. Everyone knew her. Everyone loved her. Her smile lit up the gym – absolutely infectious smile,” Buczek said. “She had a lot of injuries that she never gave up on. She had a lot of grit and determination.”

Still on the island Friday, Cassidy’s family released a statement honoring her and thanking the community for “their love and support.”

“Cassidy’s beautiful spirit, genuinely kind heart, bright mind, and joyful zest for life will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved her,” the family said.

BB&N is opening up the school Saturday to students and parents in need of grief counseling.

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