Family Of Boy Who Drowned Off Carson Beach Still Wants Answers
BOSTON (CBS) -- The city of Boston is making safety changes to their summer camp programs three days after a seven-year-old boy who participated in a city program drowned--but that boy's family is calling the measures too little, too late.
Seven-year-old Kyzr Willis's body was found Tuesday in the waters off Carson Beach. He was participating in a summer program run by the city out of the Curley Community Center.
For the first time since Kyzr's death on Tuesday, Boston Police gave new details from autopsy results, and gave a timeline of Kyzr's final moments. But the BPD still doesn't know exactly when Kyzr entered the water.
"That's our question," said Anthony Toney, Kyzr's uncle. "What happened? What happened to my nephew?"
The little boy's family said they still need answers.
"For them to have searched the area and not find him, but then go back hours later, when he's in the very same spot that they searched ... where's the accountability?" said Toney.
Mayor Marty Walsh announced a list of new safety and oversight measures for Boston Centers for Youth & Families drop-in programs Friday in response to Kyzr's drowning death.
His office outlined several new steps that will be implemented at the drop-in programs, including a mandatory head count of the children by counselors every 60 minutes, and a mandatory ratio of at least two counselors for every 10 children.
In addition, all children going into the water will be required to wear life preservers--and no more than 10 children and the two counselors assigned to them will be allowed in the water at the same time.
"The city experienced a terrible tragedy with the loss of Kyzr Willis and we immediately launched a review of all our protocols at our BCYF centers," Walsh said in a statement Friday. "Thousands of families entrust their children to our summer camps and we take that trust extremely seriously."
The city has also ordered 34 new security cameras to be set up and brought online around the Curley Center. Initially, authorities said a lack of surveillance footage surrounding the facility made their investigation difficult.
But Willis's family said they believe the changes came too late.
"This policy should have been implemented a long time ago," said Lakansa Sitcheron, Kyzr's cousin. "We should not have to be here today talking about the loss of our baby. This should never have had to happen."
Kyzr's mother, still in disbelief, now cherishes priceless memories of her youngest son. She remembers his playful and energetic personality.
"We always did everything together, everything," said Kyzr's mother, Melissa Williams. "Nothing could separate us."
On Tuesday, the staff of the Summer Youth Activities Program will undergo a day-long training on the new procedures. The BCYF oversees five drop-in programs across the city.
A GoFundMe page set up by the family had raised nearly $20,000 in two days. You can donate here.
