This fund is for Bryan Jones and the entire Jones family.

Bryan Jones's 6-year-old daughter, Winter Jones, a non-verbal autistic child, died following an incident in which she was left on a daycare bus for several hours during extreme summer heat. According to her father, Winter rode transportation between a daycare facility in Cordova and Macon-Hall Elementary but was never removed from the bus upon arrival at school. Family members said she never made it into the school building and remained unnoticed on the vehicle throughout the day.

Memphis Police reported that at approximately 3:23 p.m., a female juvenile was found in need of medical assistance on Walnut Knoll. She was transported to a hospital in critical condition and later pronounced deceased. Family members stated the discovery was not made until daycare workers returned to the bus at the end of the school day to begin taking children home.

Winter's father said her internal body temperature reached 109 degrees. Family members noted that outdoor temperatures approached 100 degrees that day and believe she spent hours trapped inside the bus.

Winter's uncle, Christopher Jones, who is also the father of a non-verbal autistic child, emphasized that Winter's autism left her unable to communicate that she was still on the bus or seek help. He stated that she could not advocate for herself and could not tell anyone she had been left behind.

The family is devastated by the loss and is seeking answers regarding how a child could have remained on the vehicle unnoticed. They want to know whether required safety procedures and bus inspections were followed and are calling for accountability if mistakes contributed to Winter's death. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether any safety checks were missed.

Bryan has been granted full absence away from work at this time, but Bryan and his family should not have to worry about anything else during this time of loss and grief.

Any donations would go directly to Bryan to use for financial support and arrangements for Winter.