Family heartbroken after boy, 10, dies in car boot in ‘tragic game of hide-and-seek’
A 10-year-old boy who died after accidentally trapping himself in the boot of a car during a game of hide-and-seek in Victoria’s north has been remembered as a “shining star” with an “infectious smile”.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, told The Age that the boy, named Bentley, died after climbing into his mother’s car at their home in Mooroopna, just west of Shepparton, on Sunday afternoon.
A collage of photos of Bentley, who died in a game of hide-and-seek near Shepparton on Sunday.
The neighbour said Bentley took his mother’s car keys and entered the car, but became stuck in the boot, which had no manual boot release.
Bentley’s aunt, Steph Sutton, wrote on social media: “Your laughter contagious, and your sense of uncanny adventure is courageous.
“I promise you that no matter what, people will always remember you.
“The loss of Bentley has been nothing short of a tragedy.”
Lainey Sutton, another of Bentley’s aunts, created a GoFundMe page on behalf of the family and wrote that “in a tragic game of hide-and-seek, our world stopped”.
“December 15th will forever be the day that we pause for a moment to remember our inquisitive, car-loving, Minecraft enthusiastic, neurodiverse 10-year-old Bentley,” she wrote.
