What Happened to Zerick Ozuna? Mystery Surrounds Kansas Boy's Death
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Questions surrounding the death of a 9-year-old Kansas boy continue to emerge after his mother, who was a suspect in his death, has also died.
The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office responded to Shyla Goracke's house in Topeka at 11:30 a.m. on June 20 after receiving a 911 call and discovered Zerick Ozuna, 9, dead with stab wounds to his neck and chest.
Goracke, 29, was taken into custody immediately and simultaneously hospitalized. She died Monday, the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office said. No other details about her cause of death were given.
Newsweek has contacted the Sheriff's Office for further comment.
Goracke was the owner of Mutt'Staches Mobile Grooming, a mobile dog grooming business. She announced on June 19 that she was closing the business due to "personal reasons."
"It kills me to still have to go this route, but I would never do anything like this if I felt it wasn't my only option I had," she wrote on the business Facebook page. "At the end of the day, I have to take care of my son and myself."
The next day, Ozuna who was going to be starting fourth grade in the fall was pronounced dead at Goracke's home.
Formal charges were never filed against his mother before her death.
Who was Zerick Ozuna?
The beloved child was remembered by community members.
"Zerick will be remembered as a kind and curious boy," Farley Elementary Principal Katie Sonderegger wrote in a message sent to the school community. "He loved to tell stories about animals and play with Legos. He was a master at Uno and often provided friends strategies for winning. He truly held a special place in the hearts of many of our students and staff members."
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka also remembered Ozuna in a Facebook post.
"Zerick was a kind boy whose imagination knew no bounds. With a creative mind, he loved to build inventive solutions to help others, whether it was fixing a broken toy or cheering up a friend feeling down."
The post continued, "Zerick's creativity wasn't just limited to problem-solving; he had a knack for storytelling and joke telling, always finding a way to bring a smile to his friends' faces. His laughter was infectious, and his kindness radiated through everything he did, making him a cherished friend to all who knew him."
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