Vigil held to honor missing Denton 2-year-old found dead in neighbor's SUV

DENTON, Texas - A candlelight vigil was held Wednesday evening for the 2-year-old boy from Denton was found dead in an SUV near his apartment complex after being reported missing.

Family, friends, police officers, and people who live the area who helped search for Sarbesh Gurung all gathered near the white SUV where the little boy’s body was found earlier in the day.

They brought out a large picture of him. A family spokesman said Gurung’s mother is struggling, crying uncontrollably, and unable to get out of bed for most of the day.

Her husband and relatives are tending to the other children for now.

This community wants answers.

The Denton police chief hopes the medical examiner can provide some.

As news began to spread that Gurung had been found dead early Wednesday morning, a small memorial began taking shape next to the white Toyota SUV where the little boy's body was found by a neighbor around 6 a.m.

A building separates the parking lot from the second-floor apartment where Gurung was reported missing by his mother just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, igniting a massive search by land and air.

“Being here, it's hard. It's like you can feel him, but the way I look at it, is he's in a better place now,” said Taylor Olvera, who lives nearby.

Olvera was one of countless people who helped Denton police officers and firefighters search for the little boy Tuesday.

The white SUV he was found inside of is very similar to the family's white Toyota SUV.

“We don’t know if the car was unlocked, we just don’t know right now,” Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon said. “The windows on the vehicle were dark tinted. It was impossible to look inside, they had a shade for children in the vehicle.”

There are some who question if a 2-year-old boy could open a car door on his own.

One mother who stopped by the memorial said her 3-year-old daughter managed to unlock and open the front door to their home in a matter of seconds.

“And walk 100 feet from my front door,” said Mona Langham, who lives nearby. “I'm so blessed by God that I was right there and I saw it.”

Denton's police chief said now is not the time to point fingers, instead, everyone should wait for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

But friends of the family are asking how his body was so close and not found by first responders who searched a five-block radius from the apartment more than once.

“There were so many of us looking, it was right next door. That is the question. How come, it was right there? This area was already sealed,” family friend Ganesh Baniya said.

“We're supposed to be there to guide them. We failed somebody, that's terrible,” said Jeana Johnson, who lives nearby.

The police chief said there is no evidence that leads them to believe this was anything but a terrible accident.

No word yet on how soon those autopsy results could be ready.