Helping Amber's Love Live On
I am Amber Washburn's sister.
On October 22nd, 2018 Amber Washburn and her boyfriend Josh Niles were gunned down and murdered in their driveway in Sodus, NY. Amber was behind the wheel of her car, trying to back out of the driveway when she was fatally shot. Amber and Josh's 4 and a half year old son, Josh Jr. was in the car at the time of his parents murder. He was unharmed. Josh also leaves behind his two other children from a previous relationship .
My parents have physical custody of Amber and Josh's son, Josh Jr. He will also be spending time with Josh's family. I have been asked by several people what they can be doing to help. Therefore, I have set up this GoFundMe page on behalf of my parents and Josh Jr.
Josh Jr. has autism and is nonverbal. He has difficulty expressing himself and his needs. Due to his special needs, Josh Jr. is delayed in most areas of development. He is an amazing and happy boy with everyday struggles. My parents are getting a crash course in parenting Josh Jr. His teachers have been pivotal in assisting them. Now my parents must prepare for their future, raising Josh Jr. to be the best him that he can be.
A month before Amber and Josh were murdered, my parents moved into the home they planned on retiring to. This home however is not well equipped to handle Josh Jr's needs and will require some modifications including safety around the basement, possibly a fence for part of the yard and other safety measures. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the home my parents previously lived in has not sold and it is not likely to sell without a miracle due to some foundational problems and will be a financial burden for the foreseeable future.
To make the financial burden even worse, the bank is requiring my parents to pay monthly on the car loan that they had cosigned with Amber and Josh or risk their credit. This could continue until the investigation is over or longer. This car is the same car that Amber was murdered in! Now my parents have to be reminded of this tragedy on a monthly basis.
On top of all of this, my parents face the simple reality of raising a child with special needs (I myself have 4 children with special needs and know the financial and emotional costs of doing this.)
The upcoming financial burdens my parents will face seem unbearable but with your help, this burden can be made lighter. Will you help financially so that we can give Josh Jr. a future that he deserves? He was already robbed of his parents, let's support him now and into the future!
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Amber and Josh's families, to those who have provided food and other assistance. You have already been miracle workers in getting us though these past few weeks.
