Thousands of people spent more than a day looking for him. Following a 28-hour extensive search of the area, divers pulled Joshua’s body from a pond near his building.
“This is the hardest thing that I’ve had to do in my life,” Jonisa Cook, Joshua’s mother, said.
At Joshua’s funeral on Saturday, those who attended showed unity and symbolism by wearing red.
“We asked for the color red because that’s what my son gave me and showed me: What love is. Unconditional love,” Joshua Al-Lateef Sr., Joshua’s father, said.
Cook and Al-Lateef Sr. reminisced on their child’s life while sharing the life lessons he provided.
“Because he couldn’t talk, so I learned, he made me learn and practice the words to use to get through to him. I want us to practice the same things to get through to one another,” Al-Lateef Sr. said.
Al-Lateef Sr. and Cook are hoping to turn tragedy into change.
That’s why they started a Change.org petition to push for a new alert system specifically for missing children with spectrum disorders. They call it the “Joshua Alert.”
Through tears, the family shared their appreciation for the community for their search for Joshua. They asked for everyone to keep his memory and legacy alive.
“Don’t let this moment be a moment, let this be a lifetime,” Al-Lateef Sr. said.
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