HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – A celebration of life was held for the 16-year-old who was killed while working at a Hattiesburg poultry plant.

A prayer service and wake were held on Saturday for Duvan Perez at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hattiesburg. Family and friends dressed in red and black, which were Perez’s favorite colors.

Perez was an immigrant from Guatemala. A family friend said his family wants Perez’s body returned to his home country.

Officials said the teen was killed while performing sanitation duties at Mar-Jac Poultry on Friday, July 14.

Officials with the company said they were unaware of Perez’s age, blaming a tight labor market and an outside staffing company for not verifying his age.

According to U.S. Occupation Safety & Health (OSHA) records, Perez’s death is the third inside the Hattiesburg plant since 2020. Four other people have been seriously injured in separate incidents.

Federal labor laws prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from operating and cleaning meat processing and packing equipment.

OSHA and the Wage and Hour Division are still investigating the July 14 incident.