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L/RAIN Temp: 55 °F Wind: N at 5 mph Tuesday, April 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 9, 2003 A memorial for Connor Sutherland, 5, is displayed in front of Marie Weston�s Medford home. Weston took care of Connor, a Medford boy who was visiting his grandmother in Grants Pass Sunday when he wandered away and apparently died of hypothermia. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Many will miss ‘a little gift from heaven’ By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Friends of 5-year-old Connor Sutherland remember him often talking avidly to his imaginary friend, who was also called Connor. When he walked away from his grandmother’s house in Grants Pass Sunday, the Medford boy might have been conducting a conversation with his friend, speculates Marie Weston of Medford. "I can picture him walking and talking to his buddy," said Weston, a daytime sitter for Connor since he was 3 months old. Weston and other friends and family of Connor and his adoptive mother, Laurie Sutherland, are mourning the loss of the boy. Connor was found dead Monday, his dog Lobo by his side. "He was just a little gift from heaven," said Weston, who has set up a memorial to Connor in her front yard. "He was my baby." Josephine County Sheriff’s Lt. Brian Anderson said Connor died of hypothermia, or exposure. X-rays show no evidence of broken bones and an examination showed no signs of trauma, he said. Connor, a kindergartner at Lone Pine Elementary, was wearing only a shirt, blue jeans and socks, but his tennis shoes were missing and still haven’t been found. Anderson said the boy probably was soaked by the rain and couldn’t stay warm through the night, when temperatures dipped into the 40s. There is also the possibility that he could have fallen down the embankment where he was found, which was about a half-mile from the house, and lost consciousness, he said. There were no signs of foul play, investigators have determined so far. "Everything looks on the up and up," said Anderson. Connor’s grandmother left for church at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, leaving the boy in the care of his uncle, said Anderson. Connor played outside while the uncle worked on the computer, listening for the boy’s voice, he said. When the grandmother came home at 12:30, she wondered where Connor was. After conducting a half-hour search, Anderson said, they called the police. Sutherland’s close friend, Traci Thomas, was surprised to learn Connor had wandered so far away. "He was real content to be by himself and play by himself, but he didn’t wander off," she said. Connor’s mother still can’t believe that her son will never be with her again, Thomas said. "I saw her yesterday in person," said Thomas. "She didn’t really talk about what happened to him. She only talked about Connor and everything he liked to do." Connor loved airplanes, the bagpipes and his mother, Thomas said. "He would always wake up and say, ‘Good morning, Mommy,’" Thomas remembered. Andrea Jacobson, a friend and coworker at Connecting Point Computer Centers in Medford, where Sutherland is an accountant, said Connor and his mother were extremely close. "He’s just her pride and joy," she said. She described Sutherland, 53, as a doting mother. "She was almost overprotective," said Jacobson. "She spoiled him but it wasn’t bad spoiling." Always concerned with how Connor was doing in school, his mother was particularly worried about his oversensitivity to noises, which required special tutoring, said Jacobson. As a single mother, it was difficult for Sutherland to adopt Connor, Jacobson recalled. After going through many hurdles, Sutherland flew to Idaho to pick up her son just after he was born. Right from the beginning, Jacobson said, there was something special about him. "There were so many people whose lives he touched," she said. Another coworker, Jeff Thomas, general manager at Connecting Point, said, "He was a tender-hearted kid and she was a good mom." Thomas, who helped search for the boy in Grants Pass, said Connor used to run around the store from time to time and was well-known and well-liked by everyone. "It’s hit everybody pretty hard," he said. "He was a very happy boy," said Lone Pine Elementary Principal Rich Miles. "He always had a smile on his face. He was always beaming from ear to ear." Students in Connor’s kindergarten class wrote messages to him and his mother, expressing their sorrow. Because of the tragic nature of the event, Miles said, two counselors went to the classroom Tuesday morning to help the students understand what had happened. "It’s tragic, absolutely tragic," said Miles. "We’re going to really miss him. My heart goes out to the family." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S