Turning Grief into Action: One Evansville Family’s Tragic Loss is Bringing Awareness and Action to Change
After little Leo passed away at only 5 years old, his family is committed to turning this tragedy into action.
Leo Eslinger
For several months Leo's grandmother and aunt have worked tirelessly to get Leo and his siblings out of their father's custody and into the home of a safe caregiver. Unfortunately, after doing everything within their power legally, they were not able to get the children into a safe environment, and on December 29th Sherri (Leo's grandmother) was contacted by the Louisiana DCFS with the heartbreaking news that Leo had been life-flighted to the Children's Hospital in New Orleans and was on life support. Tragically Leo passed away on December 31st from his injuries which were a result of suspected abuse. Little Leo passed away at only 5 years old.
As you can imagine this has turned Leo's family's world upside down, and now they are advocating for his siblings and change.
Leo's Voice
Leo's Voice is the family of Leo Eslinger's way to turn their grief into action. They've already poured money into different legal fees through the process of trying to get Leo and his siblings back to Indiana. They also have already had to pay a great deal to get Leo home to Indiana where he could be laid to rest. But Leo's story doesn't stop there.
Leo's family is now working to get his siblings back home to Indiana, so a fund has been set up to help offset the legal costs of getting the kids into a safe home, as well as covering the cost of trips back and forth to Louisiana. The funds raised will also go towards amplifying Leo's Voice, a newly created organization by the family of Leo who want to see justice for what happened to him, and also help amplify the voices of all victims of child abuse.
We acted within our legal limits to protect the children, yet existing laws favor parental rights over the safety of potentially endangered children. Leo, unable to advocate for himself, and his aunt and grandmother, found their voices silenced, but with community support they can amplify Leo's Voice to champion the rights of other children.
If you'd like to donate to help Leo's family, you can find their GoFundMe, here. You can also learn more about Leo's story, and learn about Leo's Voice, here.