Community responds to death of Raleigh toddler
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A local funeral home director contacted ABC11 and offered to help bury little Tristan Blue, who police say was murdered on Christmas Eve in Raleigh.
The 2-year-old's father - Steven Blue - is in jail without bond in the case. His mother - Briana Dangerfield - is accused of helping cover up the killing.
Meanwhile, Tristan's tragedy is helping community organizations spread the word about child abuse.
Minister and community advocate Diana Powell said she believes it takes a village to raise a child. And sadly, in the case of Tristan, it takes the death of a child to raise awareness about abuse.
Powell leads a group roundtable discussion every Monday night at Revelation Missionary Baptist Church in southeast Raleigh. The group discusses issues directly affecting the community: violence, gang prevention, and this week, the Tristan Blue murder.
"If we see the signs, someone must say something," Powell said. "We can no longer go into our houses and close our doors, close our blinds and say that's not my problem."
According to statistics from national child abuse prevention group ChildHelp, the number of child deaths resulting from abuse and neglect are staggering: over 1,600 a year, between four and five children a day, with more than 70 percent of the deaths occurring to children two years old or younger.
Tristan was just three months from his third birthday.
James Alston is a member of Powell's roundtable group. Alston lost both his parents to AIDS as a boy, has since spent time in jail, and is now raising three children of his own. He believes child abuse is a growing epidemic in this community and an open dialogue about it is long overdue.
"You feel - if you don't speak up - that's that person's problem," Alston said. "But once that person goes in that house and that door is closed, there's no telling what's going to happen to that child."
If people missed the warning signs of Tristan Blue's alleged neglect and murder, there's no shortage of support as the community grieves.
A Cary dental nurse set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs.
Lucille and Rudy Lea, owners of Lea Funeral Home in southeast Raleigh, have offered to hold Tristan's services free of charge.
"We want to lay him to rest in a manner that's befitting a little angel," Lucille Lea said.
ABC11 was able to get the Leas in touch with members of Tristan's extended family in California. They're promising to get back the Leas soon on their offer for free funeral services.
