‘Just heart-wrenching;’ 4-year-old boy loses both parents in deadly shooting

DAYTON — A 4-year-old boy with autism lost both of his parents in a double shooting in Dayton last week.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, the shooting occurred at a home in the 1600 block of Russet Avenue around 12:50 p.m. on Nov. 7.

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Emily Stovall, 23, and Jacob Osterhaus, 25, died in the shooting, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

Dayton police could not confirm what led up to the shooting but said they were not currently looking for any suspects.

“It’s just heart-wrenching. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s hard. It’s very hard to deal with,” Kim Sturgill said.

Sturgill is mourning the loss of her niece Emily, but her attention is now focused on the couple’s son.

“He is high on the autism spectrum so he is nonverbal,” Sturgill said.

Her family has been taking care of the 4-year-old since the shooting.

“He was brought out with the clothes that he was wearing, the shoes, he was wearing his shoes. Special blankets that he favors the most. Some diapers and really not much else more,” Sturgill said.

She said the community has stepped up to help since their loss.

“We just can’t thank them enough because of them (he) has everything that he needs right now at this time,” Sturgill said. “Even though there’s so much bad going on and circumstances and everything that’s happened, it’s refreshing to know that there’s still good out there.”

The family is hosting a benefit dinner to help fund the young boy’s needs as he grows up.

“He was receiving several types of therapy that were assisting him. Occupational speech therapy and so forth. Plus, he was being seen by some physicians for, the developmental delays,” Sturgill said.

The benefit dinner will take place on Dec. 7 at the Springfield VFW on 2825 E Leffel Lane from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

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