FREEPORT, Texas – People from across the state and nation are invited to pay their respects to honorary Officer Abigail Arias before she is laid to rest Tuesday.
Abigail, 7, — known to the community as Officer Arias 758 — lost her cancer battle last week. Law enforcement agencies across Texas came together to give her a big procession.
The Westside Elementary School student was diagnosed with stage four Wilms' tumor – a rare kidney cancer — in 2017. She went through aggressive treatment, but the cancer returned in 2018 and she was given a grim prognosis.
Abigail's dream was to be a police officer, and on Feb. 7, she was sworn in as an honorary Freeport police officer and formed a close bond with Police Chief Ray Garivey.
Officer Arias was also an honorary U.S. Secret Service Agent and her zest for life and infectious smile were a testament to her relentlessness, capturing the hearts of people across the nation.
Following her death, Garivey said he was at peace knowing Abigail was no longer in pain.
"It's a tough day when you lose one of your own and without a doubt 758 was one of our own," Garivey said. "When she put on that uniform she would tell you it was ... it was time to go to work. And that's what she did. (She was) an incredible, incredible young lady."
A public visitation will be held Monday at Second Baptist Church in Angleton from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for people who want to pay their respects to Abigail.
Officer Arias will be laid to rest on Tuesday. Her funeral will take place at 10 a.m. at Grace Church in Houston.
There will be a procession from the funeral home in Clute to the Houston church. It will end at a cemetery back in Clute, following the funeral. It will end at Restwood Cemetery back in Clute.
"There's so many stories I could tell, Garivey said." I'll find the ones I believe best describe our journey. It's gonna be difficult to get it out but the family has asked me to speak on behalf of our little 758."
The funeral service will include bagpipes, the folding of the Texas state flag, a wall of honor and a last call. Her casket, which was donated will have tributes of her thin blue line, he said.