Jenni Rivera’s Remains ‘100%’ Identified; Funeral Preparations Begin
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Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images(LAKEWOOD, Calif.) — The remains of Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera have been “100 percent” identified, her brother Pedro told reporters outside his parents’ home in Lakewood, Calif., on Thursday.
“It is 100 percent confirmed that Jenni is no longer with us. That is Jenni and she’s on her way back home now,” said Rivera’s brother, adding, “God let us borrow our sister, the daughter of Don Pedro Rivera and Rosa Rivera, the singer, the artist, the friend, the strong woman who always showed love — La Gran Señora. God let us borrow her for a time, 43 years, and now God has taken her. I know she is in His presence.”
Pedro said his brothers Lupillo, Juan and Gustavo, who earlier in the week had expressed hope that their sister would still be found alive, traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, to ID the body, and had indicated that “there was no need to wait for the DNA results.”
Earlier in the week, on Dec. 11, two policemen in Nuevo Leon, Mexico — Luis Antonio Ávila Moreno, 23, and Mario Alberto García Pacheco, 24 — were arrested for allegedly stealing personal items belonging to the victims of the Dec. 9 plane crash in which Rivera and six others died. Among the items found in their possession was a Blackberry phone.
Authorities in Nuevo Leon said they had arrested the officers and taken them in for questioning.
Rivera’s funeral — which will be open to the public — will be held in the Los Angeles area, said Pedro, though he did not specify a day, adding that “that is something we need to discuss as a family.”
Pedro added that Rivera did not want to be cremated, and that the ceremony will be closed casket.
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