Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community grieves Passion Schurz at candlelight vigil

About 200 members of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community stood in unity to grieve Passion Schurz at a candlelight vigil Wednesday.

BY JANE CAFFREY/ABC15 ARIZONA

Apr 2, 2026, 8:33 AM Updated: 1:12 pm

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Beneath a full moon, candlelight flickered as hundreds shared memories of a mother, daughter, sister and friend.

About 200 members of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community stood in unity to grieve Passion Schurz at a candlelight vigil on Wednesday. The 28-year-old mother of two was first reported missing on March 22, before her body was recovered from a canal in Scottsdale on Saturday morning.

“Beautiful young lady. It breaks my heart because she was only 28 years old,” Victoria Gonzales, a family friend, said.

Schurz was last seen on March 19 near her family home on the reservation. The candlelight vigil on a high school football field, held nearly two weeks later, just 2 miles away.

“It’s devastating for all of us,” Gonzales said.

Read the full story from ABC15 Arizona here.