Tanya Bruning said they noticed her son’s memorial was removed at the corner of Landershire Ln. and Roundrock Trail in Plano.
PLANO, Texas — For Tanya Bruning, there’s a spot in Plano where time stands still.
It’s the place where her 15-year-old son, James Dean Boyd Jr., died in a crash last year. She visits often, sometimes just to sit, sometimes just to breathe, but always to feel close to him.
“Heartbreaking… really heartbreaking,” said Bruning.
The accident happened last November.
According to Plano police, the driver of a pickup truck stopped at a stop sign, had the right of way, and began crossing. As that happened, officers say James hit the truck while riding his dirt bike.
Police noted the bike did not have a headlamp and was not meant for public roadways. Bruning doesn’t believe that it tells the whole story.
“He was not at fault, I know he wasn’t,” she said.
She believes her son was hit head-on, and she continues to fight for what she believes really happened.
At the crash site, Bruning and loved ones built a memorial for James, a small place to honor him and keep his memory present. Recently, that memorial disappeared.
“I don’t know who would sit here and be so hurtful to take a memorial of somebody,” Bruning said.
Now, what stands there is only what James’ brother placed again after discovering it was gone.
It’s the same spot where Burning still sees flashes from that day: the position of the bike, the angle of the truck, the moment life changed.
“Still seeing all this right here… his bike is here, the truck is diagonal,” she said.
For her, the fight is twofold: for answers, and for the memorial that meant so much to her son’s memory.
“My son deserves real justice,” she said.
She’s hoping whoever removed the memorial will return it or at least allow her to rebuild it without fear of it being taken again.
The space on the roadside may look like just another patch of grass, but for Tanya Bruning, it’s the last place her son was alive. And she’s determined to protect it.