The family of 13-year-old Airen Andula, whose body was found in a Missouri ravine days before Christmas, is getting help from a Kansas nonprofit as they deal with their devastating loss.
Airen was first reported missing after going to a neighbors house to feed their dogs while they were out of town.
Police later said they found Andula’s body in Bates County, Missouri.
“It makes you angry with god, because you don’t know why such an angel like that had to go that way, would be found that way, so disrespectfully,” said Anita Gunn, Airen’s mother. “I don’t wish that on anyone.”
The weight of their son’s death continues to burden the family as they grapple with their loss.
“He had so much life he didn’t get to live that he was ready for,” Gunn said.
The family’s story caught the attention of Sammie’s Toy Drive, a nonprofit organization that helps families in need. Sammie Magee the founder of the organization, said this story particularly stuck with her.
‘I am so sorry, Airen’: Kansas parents search for answers in son’s death
“I saw a story and the two little sisters were in one of the photos and I looked at my mom and said, ‘Yeah, I’m not sleeping on it and we’re doing it,’” Magee said. “You know, because they lost their big brother and that’s heartbreaking. They need that space to heal.”
She created the nonprofit after the Uvalde school shooting at Robb Elementary in Texas and focuses on giving back to families during their darkest moments.
While she hosts an annual toy drive in Uvalde, she’s recently brought her nonprofit’s work to communities near her.
“The big thing we do is we saw we’re honoring the 21 one toy at a time,” Magee said. “S,o the 21 victims from Robb, so we try to spread their kindness nationwide and now we’re spreading it in Kansas.”
The organization’s mission became even more personal when she thought about the time of year.
“It really hit me like, his Christmas gifts are going to be sitting under the tree and he’s not there to open them,” Magee said. “A couple days later, I saw his mom posted on Facebook saying the girls just finished opening their presents and his were still sitting there. And it’s so unfair, you know, it just broke my heart.”
The family said those presents will remain unopened.
“You can’t give that stuff away, you can’t throw it away. He meant too much to us,” Gunn said.
The family continues searching for answers about what happened to their son.
“Not knowing for sure what really happened and the anger I have for who did this to my son. I mean, nobody in the world deserves to be treated like a bag of trash and thrown out,” Charles Andula, Airen’s dad, said.
Damon Leonard, 47, was charged with abandonment of a corpse in connection with the case.
Andula said Leonard is their neighbor.
According to charging documents, Leonard told police he knew Airen was dead and where to find his body while multiple agencies were searching for the missing teenager.
KSHB 41 reached out to the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department by phone and email during the week and weekend. We’ll continue reaching out until we hear back.
