Barrie child found dead in home remembered as ‘very nice kid’ by neighbours

Police say the investigation into the death of a 10-year old Barrie child is ongoing, as neighbours react to the shocking New Year’s Eve incident.

According to Barrie Police, they responded to a call for a wellness check at a house on Bayview Avenue near Little Avenue around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and found the deceased child in the home.

Police declined Global News’ request for comment on Thursday.

“At 11:30 last night, the body bag came out, unfortunately, we saw that,” Paul Carey, who lives in the neighbourhood, told Global News on Thursday.

Carey said a police car caught his attention on Wednesday evening, when it was parked outside his neighbour’s house. He watched as officers broke the door down to get inside the home.

“They found the son deceased,” he said. “The mother came out in an ambulance, she didn’t look very good but she was still alive,” Carey said, adding that she looked “out of it” as paramedics helped her.

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According to Barrie Police, the mother was transported to hospital where she remains. There was no update Thursday on her condition.

Carey described the single mother and the boy as “a loving family.” According to Carey, the boy lived with autism.

“Very nice kid,” he added, “and she (the mother) seemed like a really, really nice person.”

“It’s been unbelievable and I feel horrible for the family,” Carey said.

Gail Barber, another neighbour, told Global News she and her family talked to the mother “every day.”

She described the late boy as “a sweetie, a doll.”

“He was funny, he would play in the snow and he was just goofy, a typical little boy,” she said.

“He was a lot of fun, I made him chocolate chip cookies. I was his favourite.”

Barber told Global News she and the mother of the child had attended church together on Christmas Day.

“It’s just such a tragedy, no child should die before their mother,” Barber said.

—With files from Global’s Sean O’Shea