“Come as you are,” they wrote. “Bring a picnic, sit quietly by the animals, walk around the Ranch, or simply spend some time together. There is no expectation and nothing you need to do while you’re here. We just want to offer a peaceful space for our community to gather, grieve, reflect, and be surrounded by a little comfort.
“Our hearts are with this family and our entire community as we navigate another unimaginable loss together.”
Reed’s death is the latest to impact the community, which has been dealt several tragedies over the last year.
In October 2025, 13-year-old Chance Hunnicutt was fatally struck by a semi while riding his bike in downtown Manhattan. Hunnicutt died just days after 11-year-old Danny Bayles, who suffered a suffered a pulmonary embolism following an asthma attack, family told Patch. Both were students at Manhattan District 114’s Manhattan Jr. High.
In December, a head-on crash in nearby Elwood claimed the lives of Elwood man Joshua Villalobos, 35, and Diane Hopkins, 64, of Ohio. Two others were injured. Initial investigation indicates Villalobos was driving westbound on Manhattan Road, just west of Cherry Hill Road, when his vehicle entered oncoming traffic in the eastbound lane, striking the second vehicle head-on.