Officials continue to release more information of Lisa Velasquez’s death and how she lived.

Velasquez’s dismembered body parts were found at two Bronx parks. Velasquez’s aunt, Jackie Perez, says her niece, who lives with her grandmother, left her apartment to help a friend who police say was involved in a custody dispute with the child's father. Both now charged with Velasquez's murder. 

In 2006, 12-year-old Velasquez witnessed the death of her pregnant mother, who family members say was killed by a boyfriend.

Perez says Velasquez provided strength for her two younger siblings in the wake of their mother’s death.

Velasquez worked as a host on a cruise ship and was once part of the NYPD’s auxiliary program. Those close to her say she loved playing softball.