CANNON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A small vigil was held Sunday for a young mother killed last week in her home southeast of Rockford.

Family members of 25-year-old Ciara Paul returned to the scene of the crime, placing flowers and candles outside the victim’s house on Cannon Place Drive NE in Cannon Township.

Police say the killing happened on Thursday before officers found Paul dead inside the home with apparent stab wounds.

“I just can’t wrap my head and my mind around what happened to her and her children,” Paul’s aunt, Effie Threats, said.

Police say Paul’s two children were found injured inside the home. They were rushed to the hospital, where they were listed in stable condition Friday.

The man accused of the killing Paul and injuring her children was taken into custody Thursday night. The Kent County Sheriff’s Department says Jacob Alec Ryan, 29, now faces charges of open murder and assault with intent to murder.

Paul’s loved ones say they had no idea their loved one was in potential danger.

“She was always so cheerful and excited and playing with the kids and stuff,” Threats said. “She never led on to me, not one time, that something was going on.”