The mother of 7-year-old King Supa Dixon, who died after a drowning this week, is speaking publicly for the first time as the community prepares to hold a vigil in his honor.
Emotional moments unfolded in Leisure City as Allanda Dorval returned to the canal where her son lost his life. King Supa Dixon drowned after wandering away from his nearby home on Tuesday afternoon, after returning from school.
“He meant everything to me,” Dorval said.
Dorval shared a new picture of her son and memories of him, describing him as “vibrant and happy and full of love, and he was brave”. She added, “He was a very loving person. He loved fruit, jumping, and outer space”.
While she stated she does not “wanna talk about what happened,” Dorval stressed that her main goal is to show her “sweet boy” and prevent this from happening to other children.
“There may be other things that need to be put in place so it wouldn’t happen this way. I feel like there should be a gate here,” Dorval said. She says she will try to see if the county is willing to install a gate at the canal.
The boy’s great-aunt, Carla Deliford, also grieved and noted that King was autistic. “King, being autistic, he loved to run,” Deliford said. “With autistic kids, you have to watch them more than others, but she did her best”.
Dorval offered a message to other parents: “Just cherish the ones around you. Cherish everyone. Cherish your family. Love others like god loves you. This is the only way to live. You never know, you just never know what’s going to happen”.
A vigil for King is scheduled for Saturday, just after 7 p.m., at a park in Homestead. Dorval will be attending the vigil.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is investigating how the incident happened, and the boy’s mother is using a fundraising website to raise money for burial expenses.