Associated Press

Associated Press

PRESCOTT, ARIZ.

Dozens of people gathered in central Arizona, wearing pink ribbons and holding candles, to honor the American woman taken hostage by Islamic State militants.

Kayla Mueller’s death was confirmed earlier this month by her family and the U.S. government. The Islamic State group claimed she died in a Jordanian airstrike, but the Pentagon rejected that, saying it doesn’t know how she was killed.

Churches and community groups in her hometown of Prescott, the former territorial capital of Arizona, organized a candlelight memorial Wednesday to reflect on Mueller’s life and work as an international aid worker.

It was to feature a song Mueller’s mother used to sing to her as a child, “He Who Began a Good Work in You.” Mueller’s parents — Carl and Marsha — planned to attend. Her brother, Eric Mueller, was scheduled to speak to the crowd.