This is heartbreaking in more ways than one.
Jeffrey Baldwin (above) died at just five-years-old after his grandparents gained custody of him from his teenage parents and then proceeded to starve him to death.
His tragic story caught the attention of Todd Boyce, who wanted to raise money for a statue of Jeffrey to pay tribute to the little boy whose life was unfairly cut short.
If there was one thing this youngster loved more than anything, it was Superman. Before his parents had to give up Jeffrey, his father testified in court about just how much his son adored his favorite superhero, saying:
“He wanted to fly. He tried jumping off the chair. We had to make him stop. He dressed up (as Superman) for Halloween one year. He was so excited. I have that picture at home hanging on my wall. He was our little man of steel.”
So when it came time to design the statue, Boyce though what better way to depict Jeffrey than wearing his cherished Superman costume!
But DC Entertainment, the owners of the caped crime fighter, have blocked Boyce from using the famous Superman logo on Jeffrey’s statue!
Boyce explained why the comic company stopped their design, saying:
“Basically they didn’t want to have the character of Superman associated with child abuse. They weren’t comfortable with that.”
While Boyce was angered at first by their refusal, he has since spoken to reps at DC and now understands why they would have the stance they do.
What’s most important to him is that there’s a tribute to this little superhero, regardless of what letter is on his chest.
So now, instead of an ’S’ there will be a ‘J’ across the chest of Jeffrey’s statue.
We think he’d like that just the same.
Rest in peace, little guy.
[Image via Facebook.]
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