PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Zariah Dodd’s life was cut short at just 16 years old . Her first foster mom, Jennifer Jones, is speaking out to share the story of the bright young girl she knew 11 years ago.

Five-year-old Zariah Dodd had bright eyes and a big smile.

“She loved to do cheerleading. She had pom poms. She loved to ride her bike. She wanted to do horseback riding. Anything she could experience, she wanted to do,” Jones said.

Jones was Zariah’s first foster mom more than a decade ago. Zariah was her first placement after getting licensed. The young girl was brought to her because she was left to care for her infant brother alone.

“Based upon what I was told, she was going from house to house past Apache Junction asking for food,” Jones said. “They believe she had been there five to

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