When Sheryl Sawyers and her son, Robert, left their Galveston hotel Wednesday morning, they were too worn out to talk.

But they did share a very private moment with 11 News:  The moment they visited the memorial for Riley Ann Sawyers, known to many as “Baby Grace.”

Robert is Riley’s father.  Sheryl, her grandmother.

"BABY GRACE"

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They came from Ohio to visit some difficult places: Where Riley was killed, where her body was thrown into the Causeway and where complete strangers erected a cross in her name.

On Monday, low tides prevented them from reaching the memorial, which is located on the small, uninhabited island in the Bay where the girl’s body was discovered.

“It broke my heart that they couldn’t make all the steps that they wanted to take,” Cheryl Lawless of Texas EquuSearch said.

So Tuesday, the group arranged for airboat pilot Hal Newsom to make the seven-mile journey to the island again. 

This time, they made it.

Riley’s grandmother and dad stood at the cross for the first time with the gifts left in her memory, soaking in the love of complete strangers.

“Of all the different places we went between Monday and Tuesday, that really gave the family a sense of peace,” Laura DePledge, the family’s attorney, said.

DePledge said the Galveston Causeway, where Riley’s body was thrown away, was the most difficult part of their visit.

The Sawyers stayed at Riley’s memorial for nearly two hours.  When they left, they appeared changed.

“This is where hearts started breaking for her, and it provides a sense of comfort to the family that she was embraced again,” DePledge said.

After visiting the memorial, Robert Sawyers even offered a smile.

“I really felt that when we left there, that they were different. There was something that was part of a completion or something, that it’s what they came to do,” Lawless said.

On Tuesday, the family visited the home in Spring where investigators believe Riley was killed on July 24.

There, Sheryl met with Lois Gibson, the forensic artist who drew the picture of Riley that caught her attention and solved the case.

“The reason I did it is because I thought it was torture if you didn’t know and then I could stop the torture and it would be better just to know,” Gibson said.

Courtesy family

Riley Ann Sawyers

The Sawyers said they were glad to have had the opportunity to peer into the courtyard of the home that is the last place little Riley played.

It has been a difficult journey, but in the end they found what they were looking for on that tiny island in the middle of Galveston’s West Bay – a little peace.

The Sawyers left for Ohio Wednesday afternoon.

They said they will eventually return to Galveston, but not for the trials of Kimberly Trenor and Royce Zeigler.

They said they don’t want to sit in court and hear all the horrible details all over again.

They are waiting for the chance to bring Riley home for her funeral.  Officials say that could still be several weeks away.