Unidentified toddler is laid to rest

His family never came forward to claim him, but a community stepped up Monday to make sure an unidentified toddler wasn't forgotten.

A somber crowd of about 100 mourners gathered to bury an abandoned boy they never knew and to remember a short life that brought out the most tragic and uplifting sides of humanity.

In an emotional eulogy, the Revs. Andrew Nielo and Ron Yurcus reassured mourners -- including dozens of strangers and law enforcement officials -- that the child whose body was found two years ago in DuPage County is now safe.

"(He) did so much in his short life," Yurcus said. "Look how many people have gathered here today out of love. He's moved so many people, in so many different ways, and he didn't even have to say one word to do it.

"He may be unknown, but he's not forgotten. He may be unknown, but he's not lacking in love, because there's plenty of love here."

The unidentified boy, believed to be 3 or 4, was laid to rest in a section of Assumption Cemetery in Wheaton known as "Holy Innocence," among the remains of 200 other children who died too soon. His gravestone says simply: "Son Unknown -- But Not Forgotten Oct. 8, 2005."

It was on that date that Ted Bruder of Bolingbrook found the child's decomposed remains while walking his dog, Buddy, near Route 59 and I-88 in a wooded area between Naperville and Warrenville. Bruder knelt by the gravesite Monday to say a final goodbye to the little boy he found.

Madeline Gapastione of Bartlett also attended the toddler's funeral. She has eight children and 31 grandchildren but said she would have gladly taken this little boy in as her own. Her daughter agreed.

"Just being a mother of five, they don't leave the house without me hugging and kissing them," said Lisa Cusumano of Carol Stream. "How could someone just leave him like that?"

Mourners brought flowers, balloons, teddy bears and wreaths for the child, whom some are calling DuPage County's Johnny Doe. They gathered in a far north section of the cemetery where, at 2 p.m. sharp, a hearse led by a sheriff's squad car arrived.

As Naperville police Sgt. Brian Cunningham played the bagpipes, an Arlington Heights-based chapter of the Knights of Columbus stood at attention in full uniform.

The pallbearers were DuPage Sheriff John Zaruba; Coroner Peter Siekmann; Susan Walker, of "Rest in his Arms," a nonprofit group that helps bury unidentified children; and Bud Coglianese, of the DuPage County Funeral Directors Association. The Diocese of Joliet donated the cemetery plot.

As the solemn ceremony concluded, mourners hummed a final lullaby. One by one, they placed a flower on his tiny white casket as it was lowered into the ground. Many of them, including Anne Schwartz of Winfield, dabbed tears from their eyes.

"I just believe every life is precious, from the cradle to the grave," she said. "I am grieving for him and pray this case will be solved."

The toddler had black hair, weighed 38.5 pounds and was about 3 feet tall. He appeared to be of either Asian, American Indian or Hispanic descent. His badly decomposing body was found in a blue canvas laundry bag.

For two years, the DuPage County sheriff and coroner's offices tried to solve the mystery. An autopsy did not find obvious signs of trauma.

Sheriff's detectives put out national alerts and chased more than 100 leads, including telephone tips, from California to New York, while forensic scientists worked with the remains to extract DNA. Other experts in areas from bones to bugs were brought in to find answers. Artists came up with various sketches of the boy's face.

Groups such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the crime-fighting show "America's Most Wanted" assisted.

"It's very frustrating," Detective John Gradus said. "You follow up on all the leads and put in all the man hours, but still there's no answers. When it involves a child, it hits close to home."

At one point, sheriff's detectives were encouraged after learning the boy's matching blue shirt and pants were sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. The company searched its records and pinpointed three purchases in which the specific outfit was bought together.

Detectives said two were bought using a credit card. One was tracked to a Mississippi family that donated it to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, the other to a New Mexico family that did not match the description. The third outfit was sold in Forest Park, but it could not be tracked because it was a cash purchase.

Authorities said the forensic evidence they'll need for confirmation, should his parents ever be found, is being stored in their crime lab. After working so hard to give him a name, all that remained Monday was to give him a proper burial.

And they did.

"The case will never become a cold case. We have adopted him as one of our own," promised Nielo, a sheriff's chaplain. "He is in our hearts forever, even after his identity becomes known."

Do you know this boy?

• 3 to 4 years old

• 38.5 inches tall; 25 to 30 pounds.

• East Asian/American Indian derived from Hispanic or tribal Indian heritage; not black.

• Body found in a blue canvas laundry bag.

• Wearing a navy blue shirt with three buttons (size 2T) and navy blue pants with a nylon cotton blend shell with a white liner (size 4T). The brand of his clothing, Faded Glory, is sold exclusively at Wal-Mart.

• Anyone with information is urged to call (800) 669-7109. An $11,000 reward is being offered.