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A three-year-old boy named Bowen Ross Berthelot passed away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sunday, December 22. The following day, TikToker Madison Strongcheck, who's the kid's aunt, took to the social networking site and mourned the tragedy.
“This is the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life. My sweet baby is no longer with us but he's in heaven riding all the dirtbikes he could ever imagine. I lost my best friend and I am still in disbelief. Every time I would see him his sweet face yelled ‘MIMI’ and he was full of joy and kindness,” Madison wrote.
Her post was accompanied by a video featuring Bowen Ross Berthelot where the kid was tasting a smoothie in the kitchen and was saying “bye” to the camera upon his aunt’s request.
The kid’s parents Nick and Kennedi Berthelot, who's the sister of Stroncheck, also took to Facebook to share the news.
“Today a very tragic event happen that no parent can ever imagine. We lost our precious baby boy. Thank you for everyone reaching out as for the next few weeks will be a challenge. Keep us in y’all’s prayers. Funeral arrangements will soon follow. God help us,” they wrote in the joint statement.
The post was accompanied by pictures of their family, featuring Bowen, Nick, Kennedi, and their daughter, Molly, Bowen’s younger sister.
While they did not confirm the cause of death, various news outlets including Ghana Celebrities reported that Bowen Ross Berthelot died in an alleged skid-steer accident on his family property.
For the uninitiated, a skid steer is a compact, versatile, agile, engine-powered machine used for a variety of tasks in construction, landscaping, agriculture, digging, demolishing, and more, according to the DJJ Equipment website.
Meanwhile, amid the now-viral news of Bowen’s demise, a fundraiser has begun on GoFundMe to help his family with funeral costs. It has raised $74,465 at the time of writing.
More about Bowen Ross Berthelot's tragedy
Bowen Ross Berthelot’s demise was mourned by his TikToker aunt, Madison Stroncheck. The influencer, who is popular for her content related to beauty tips, OOTDs, and sharing her family and love life with boyfriend Colby Hardy, took to the platform on December 23 to share:
"The warm tight hugs and crazy play time will be truly missed. If you know me then you know this baby was my pride and joy and I never stopped talking about him. He was so loved it's crazy. I know he is looking over us and I am asking for y'all to send prayers for our family. This is going to be very hard to get through."
In a follow-up post, Madison shared a slideshow of images featuring Bowen, and wrote:
“The sweetest soul! I love my sweet baby with all my heart.”
As per Distractify, the boy often appeared on the TikToker’s channel, and showed him accompanying her to appointments, and partaking in family moments.
Meanwhile, on Monday, a funeral/ memorial fundraiser was also started by Jensen Berthelot of Denham Springs, Louisiana, presumably a close family member of the now-deceased toddler, Bowen Ross Berthelot.
He started it on behalf of Bowen’s mother and primary beneficiary, Kennedi Berthelot.
“Assist with Bowen Ross Berthelot's Funeral Expenses,” the fundraiser was headlined.
The description further read:
“Our sweet Bowen Ross Berthelot has gained his angel wings at 3 years old. I have started this account to help with funeral expenses. If you feel compelled to donate, please do so here. We are so grateful for the outpouring of love from our community.”
The fundraiser has raised more than $74,000 as against its $25,000 goal from over 1,100 donors. Additionally, Baton Rouge and Denham Springs communities have united to aid the Berthelot family in the aftermath of the tragedy.
According to Ghana Celebrities, commemorative t-shirts have been created to honor Bowen Ross Berthelot, with proceeds supporting his family.
His father, Nick Berthelot, works at C & M Outdoor Power Equipment in Denham Springs, and his mother, Kennedi Berthelot, is a realtor at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices United Properties.
The funeral is scheduled for December 28 at Judson Baptist Church in Walker, Louisiana.
