Local pastor mourns death of toddler found dead

The local community said farewell to 3-year-old Harry Kkonde. The toddler was found dead earlier in June.

Missing Boy

In a report with NBC News, the toddler was reported missing on Tuesday, June 14. According to reports, Harry went missing from his babysitter's house. He was later found in a pond in Lowell, Massachusetts.

A crowd of neighbors, friends, and relatives gathered at the Waltham middle school to pay their respects to the grieving family. They also stayed to offer a prayer for Harry.

Many of those who attended also joined the search party in hopes of finding the toddler.

Memorial Service

During the memorial service, the toddler's dad and a representative from the Uganda Boston Community Association addressed attendees. They talked about how Harry's death was such a devastating loss to the local community.

Harry's father, Samuel, said that his son will indeed be missed. He added that his heart breaks every time he hears about the loss of a child.

The grieving father expressed his sorrow saying that he knew his life would never be the same now that his son was gone.

Prayers Asked

The UBCA representative urged attendees to pray for the babysitter. She stressed that it was important for both parties to heal.

She added that the community should do its part to begin the healing process by loving and forgiving each other.

One of the pastors close to the Kkonde family told the news outlet that they took comfort in the community's support.

The pastor added that they are still searching for answers on how the toddler went missing and how he died.

According to the report, the babysitter Freda Lane reported the boy missing around 9:30 a.m. on June 14. Harry was playing in the backyard fifteen minutes before.

A fundraiser for the boy's funeral expenses has raised thousands of dollars. The toddler's family plans to bring the remains to Uganda, where they will have the body buried.

The community began a search party for Harry when he was reported missing. Around 200 people joined efforts to find the toddler.

He was later found dead in a pond around 1:10 p.m. the next day.

The pond was located next to a Christmas tree farm around 650 feet from where Harry was last seen.

Investigators are still looking into the case.

Honoring Harry

In a report with The Sun, the community took their time to grieve the passing of the toddler. They lit candles in honor of Harry and prayed for his family that they would heal from the death of their son.

Mayor Sokhary Chau led the crowd in prayer, saying, "Let this candlelight shine for Harry tonight."

There was a picture on the front of the podium. It showed the toddler smiling. He was dressed in green pajamas. The picture showed also showed the little boy sporting angel wings.

Samuel thanked the community for their share of support since their son went missing. He added that the pain of losing Harry was too much to bear, and he did not want it.