“My baby is gone,” mom Serenity Maes wrote after the death of her son Zeldris
NEED TO KNOW
- A toddler’s body was recovered hours after he went missing while visiting a park in Colorado with his family
- The victim’s mother, Serenity Maes, identified the boy as her son Zeldris, 1½
- “My baby is gone,” she wrote in a heartbreaking social media post
A toddler who disappeared while visiting the park with his family has been found dead, according to Colorado officials.
The Silverthorne Police Department and other agencies responded to a report of a missing boy at Willow Grove Open Space in the afternoon on Tuesday, July 22, town officials said in a statement.
First responders searched the nearby Blue River and the surrounding area and his body was discovered around 5 p.m. local time.
“The Town of Silverthorne is processing a tragic and heartbreaking incident in our community,” a local government representative wrote in the statement. “Our hearts go out to the family who lost a loved one and to emergency responders who were involved in the incident.”
An official cause of death will be released by the Summit County Coroner’s Office but foul play is not suspected, according to Summit Daily.
In an interview with Fox affiliate KDVR, the boy’s mother, Serenity Maes, said that she decided to take her kids — Zeldris, 1½, as well as his 3-year-old brother — to the park since they couldn’t check into their motel until later in the day.
While they were out, she said that her older son, who has autism, rushed off towards a creek. As she chased after him, she said that she heard her toddler cry out, but in the time it took for her to turn around, he was already gone. She immediately called police for help shortly before 3 p.m.
“My baby is gone,” she wrote in a heartbreaking post on social media after his death.
Additional details about his death have not been publicly shared.
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In a GoFundMe set up to support Maes, a cousin wrote that the mom of two is struggling to cope with the death of her son.
“Keep her in your prayers,” the organizer added, “we definitely need it.”
