Dear Friends, Family, and Community,

I am writing this because I couldn’t let anyone else tell you about my son. By now, many of you in our community have heard the devastating news about the boy found in South Watuppa Pond. But that is not how he would want to be remembered as just a Headline in a News Article. That’s not who he was.

He was born Tristan James Major on June 13, 2009. Just a few days ago, wanting a fresh start to leave behind the trauma his biological father put us through, we began the process of legally changing our names. We were starting out as a whole new family with our own traditions and our own motto. So while he was born Tristan, he proudly chose his own name: Rohan Rhys.

Rohan was a brilliant, unique soul. He had ADD and was high functioning autistic. His mind didn't operate like everyone else's, everything to him was black and white, with no shades of grey. Yet, he constantly tried his best to understand the logic of others. He was incredibly smart, practically teaching himself to read when he was little. Since he was a child, Rohan loved building things, from birdhouses with his stepdad to complex robots. He was supposed to start the YouthBuild construction program next month. For the first time ever, he was excitedly talking about going to college afterward, which was huge because he had always struggled with traditional school.

Rohan loved being outdoors, hiking, exploring, playing video games, reading, and playing guitar. He was even teaching himself to speak Japanese and write kanji.

Most importantly, he loved his family fiercely, and he adored his girlfriend, who brought so much happiness to his life.

We were all making plans for our future together on a therapeutic horse ranch. Rohan was going to be the one to build and repair things on the property, while he also wanted to have his own vegetable garden. His sister is heading to Bristol Aggie to find her role, and I just started school for psychology. His older sister is in college, still figuring out her path in life, and his younger brother hasn’t decided how he’ll help, but he wants to.

We’re struggling to fight through this indescribable pain so we can keep this dream alive, but we’re trapped in this nightmare, trying to figure out how we are supposed to wake up every morning and find a way to live in a world without him. It breaks our hearts completely to know we will never see his beautiful smile again, or hear the jokes that always brought so much light (and some eye rolling) to our home. The silence he leaves behind is deafening.

We weren’t prepared for this, we never thought we would have to be. Losing him so suddenly … the weight of that loss is too much to bear alone. I don’t like asking for help. I’ve always done things on my own. But I can’t do this. I can’t. So I’m asking … will you please help us give my son the dignified, beautiful farewell that he deserves? All funds raised will go directly toward his funeral and memorial expenses, as well as helping our family navigate this impossible transition. Whether you can donate or not, thank you for helping us honor Rohan Rhys, protecting his memory, and standing with our family.