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You can see them on cars driving around Warsaw, Pierceton, North Webster, Huntington and Columbia City.
"We Want Justice For Lois," the bumper stickers say. They wanted justice even before charges were filed this week in Kosciusko Circuit Court.
Kristina Crooks, 19, was charged Tuesday in Judge Rex Reed's court with neglect of a dependent and reckless homicide. The charges stem from the death of Lois Marie Ozenbaugh, who died while in Crooks' care.
An autopsy and toxicology report found six cigarettes in the child's stomach and Valium in her bloodstream. The infant had been in Crooks' care a little over three weeks.
Vickie and Dave Dittman cared for the infant for 10 months. They found out the little girl died the morning of a custody hearing in which they hoped to get her back.
Only 24 bumper stickers were printed at first, but later 500 were made by a Syracuse printer who ended up donating them, Vickie Dittman said.
Dittman and her supporters have handed out more than 400 bumper stickers. She said friends and strangers have come forward and have comforted her.
"They're out there. There are people out there with us," she said. "People I don't even know have just been so precious."
The death of little Lois has put Dittman's life on hold.
"I only worked a couple hours Tuesday. My boss knows that whenever this goes to trial, I'm going to take that time off," said Dittman. "She's been real supportive of me."
But the grieving continues.
"I've been real hyper, I don't function real well, but I'm trying.
"At court Tuesday, I sat in my seat. I was a good little girl, even though I didn't want to be," said Dittman.
It troubled Dittman when she read in the paper that Crooks said two weeks before Lois died, "I can't stand having these girls around me any more."
"She could have brought them back to me; I would have gladly taken them," said Dittman. "But there would have been different circumstances. I would have had a paper signed stating that she was giving up her parental rights right then and there.
"She didn't have to take them, I didn't force her to," said Dittman.
But, in their grief, the Dittmans continue to be active. Vickie is taking CPR classes, while Dave may be sent with the Red Cross to help flood victims in Kentucky.
Every Sunday in April the Dittmans will be taking foster parenting classes in Plymouth in hopes it would improve their chances to get Lois' sister, Autumn, back.
The Dittmans have not seen Autumn since Dec. 26 when she left with Crooks. "I would just love to be able to see her to know that she is OK," said Dittman.
Autumn is staying with her grandmother in Fort Wayne.
It pains Dittman when she thinks of giving the girls back to their mother. "I'm really having a hard time knowing that I had to hand them over."
