Colorado community reels from “worst nightmare” as 11-year-old suspected of killing 5-year-old brother
By Olivia Young
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COLORADO (KCNC) — A Colorado community is reeling from the death of a 5-year-old boy, and the news of who police suspect to be his killer.
The Centennial neighborhood where the boy died is quiet and full of children, according to neighbors.
“It’s been very safe, very, very family-oriented,” said neighbor Emily Silengo.
Timberline Elementary School, where CBS News Colorado learned the victim went to school, is just blocks away from the scene.
Neighbors say they saw the 5-year-old and his two older brothers playing outside often.
While one neighbor told CBS Colorado the family kept to themselves, children in the neighborhood say they played with the brothers as recently as Sunday.
But Tuesday night, one neighbor says he walked by the home to see a gruesome scene as a stretcher was loaded into an ambulance.
A rush of police cars on Tuesday evening disrupted the usually peaceful neighborhood.
“I pulled in, I was grabbing dinner, and then I saw two or three cop cars, which is definitely alarming, because we don’t usually see cop cars at all in here,” said neighbor Kirby O’Loughlin.
“I see all the police cars, and I’m hoping nothing bad happened,” said neighbor Cain Gutierrez.
But something bad had happened.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office says a 5-year-old boy was killed at a home on South Jerico Way.
Investigators believe that the boy’s 11-year-old brother is responsible.
“Incredibly jarring and shocking and very emotional, like I said, I have a little daughter of my own, and to hear that, I mean, makes me pretty emotional,” Silengo said.
The news is hard to absorb for neighbors, with some telling CBS Colorado their children played with the brothers.
“It’s something that you know you would literally, as a parent, is probably your worst nightmare. At least for me, that was my first thought,” O’Loughlin said.
“It’s just really shocking, just to come home and like see all this like unfold. I never expected something like that to happen. So yeah, condolences to the family, because it’s very sad,” Gutierrez said.
The boy’s cause of death is under investigation.
Wednesday afternoon, deputies performed a grid search in an area behind the home.
“It’s definitely a wild sight. I mean, I went to take the dog for a run, and you got cops all looking for evidence and drones,” O’Loughlin said.
The 11-year-old is in custody at the Foote Youth Services Center. He faces first-degree murder charges. It’s not clear if he’ll be charged as an adult.
The parents have not been charged.
“My heart goes out to the family. I can’t imagine what they’re feeling. I hope that they get the support that they need,” Silengo said.
“(I) really hope that, you know, we could get together as a community here and support them and support all the people involved that were close to them as well,” O’Loughlin said.
Timberline Elementary School emailed parents on Wednesday to inform them of the death of a kindergarten student.
The school says they will have additional mental health staff available on Thursday to support students.
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