Family of slain Upper Darby HS student to start nonprofit to honor teen
UPPER DARBY, Pa. (CBS) -- A murder mystery continues in Delaware County.
A teenage boy was fatally stabbed almost three months ago. But there have been no arrests and few answers over what happened.
RELATED: Upper Darby community searching for answers after fatal teen stabbing
But on Monday, the boy's family is remembering him in a special way.
A happy birthday balloon is now tied to a memorial along Bridge Street in Upper Darby that honors the life of Michael Garr, the 15-year-old who was stabbed to death while walking home from a friend's home in April.
Monday would have been Garr's 16th birthday.
"Happy birthday, Michael. We love and miss you," Michael Peabody, Garr's uncle, said.
Some of Garr's family members told CBS News Philadelphia they grow more heartbroken with every passing holiday and other life events they're not with him.
"I'm gonna cry about it, yeah, because we're not gonna celebrate a graduation. We're not going to celebrate him going to college. And it's important to me that we continue doing that to keep his memory going," Peabody said.
To do that, Peabody says the family is now creating a nonprofit called "Dream Beyond The Bench" that will host events to fund a scholarship in his nephew's name.
"The plan right now is to do that in 2025, which would be Michael's class," Peabody said.
Peabody says the goal is to give assistance to college students studying sports-related fields like broadcasting and sports medicine.
"I want to kind of keep that going, to keep Michael alive the best way we can," Peabody said.
But as the police investigation lingers on, Garr's family is desperate for answers.
"No one should have to go through this," Jen Staiber, Garr's cousin, said. "No family."
Police in Upper Darby had no comment Monday and wouldn't answer a number of questions over the investigation, including whether or not there is a known suspect. Police are also still investigating a possible motive.
"We're never going to forget him, and we hope that no one does. He was special. He was a special boy," Staiber said.
Now, his uncle wants his nephew's killer to do the right thing and has this message:
"I would ask him to do that, turn yourself in, tell the truth so we understand what happens," Peabody said.
The Delaware County Fraternal Order of Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
