Photo Courtesy of The Tallahassee Democrat
A grieving family is looking for answers after 13-year-old Darius Swain was found dead on July 25 near a Walmart in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Darius’s father, Derrick Swain, saw him the morning he disappeared. He had been dropped off at home early Friday morning. The man shares the home with his sister and brother– James and Dawn Burke. Burke and Darius had gone to work at a local food truck.
“It was something we did together,” Derrick said. “He enjoyed it, and he got to make some money.”
Later in the afternoon, James contacted his brother after not being able to find the teen.
“Have you seen Darius?” he asked.
The family gathered to search for Darius.
According to the Atlanta Black Star, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began investigating his disappearance on July 24 and issued a Missing Child Alert for Darius the next day. However, his body was later discovered the day the report was issued, nearby a Walmart on West Tennessee Street. The young teen had been shot.
Police publicly confirmed it was the young boy on August 3.
Despite having found his body, Darius’s family is still not satisfied with the circumstances of the investigation and is seeking answers. Derrick Swain, Darius’s father, said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat that investigators determined his son’s fatal gunshot wound to have been self-inflicted.
“I don’t understand,” Derrick said. “He was such a happy kid. He would never do that.”
On August 5, Darius’s family held a vigil to commemorate his life at the Family Dollar, where Swain was last seen alive.
Meanwhile, Swain’s aunt, LaToya Grier, showed a video of her nephew during the vigil; a family friend said to WCTV, “This video does not show a child who is hurt or a child that wanted to harm itself. So regardless of what the people, what you hear in the streets, what people are telling you, we want justice for Darius, and we will not stop until justice is served for Darius.”
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An attendee of the vigil held a sign that read, “Who Hurt Darius?”
The sign represents the family challenging the Tallahassee Police Department’s investigation after they found there to be no foul play involved in the teen’s death. During the initial stages of Darius’s disappearance, family members became suspicious of a missing gun that belonged to his uncle from the home where Swain was staying.
The family found the weapon with the boy’s body, but police haven’t confirmed if a firearm was found at the scene.
Although his body was found in Tallahassee, Darius lived in Sanford, Florida, with his mother. He had been visiting his dad and aunt when he disappeared. His family said he loved music, playing the piano and was looking forward to starting the eighth grade.
Funeral services for Darius were held in Sanford.