‘My angel was fearless’: Service honors boy, 7, hikers found dead

SANTA CLARA, California — The little boy’s body only filled half of the full-sized casket. A red baseball cap that he will never fit into rested just above his head.

Block letters nearby spelled out his name: LIAM.

Nearly a month after his previously unidentified body was found off a Southern Nevada highway, 7-year-old Liam Husted was honored in a service Friday at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, just outside his hometown of San Jose, California.

His mother, Samantha Moreno Rodriguez, was arrested in Denver on June 8 on suspicion of murder — one day after police announced Liam’s identity and declared her a wanted suspect. She is awaiting extradition to Las Vegas.

Liam’s body returned to California last week.

“The last 29 days have been unbelievably difficult for me to comprehend,” Liam’s dad, Nicholas Husted, said during the service. “I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I’ll never get more hugs and kisses from him. But it’s still hard for me to fathom how much pain he was in and how confused he was and scared.”

About 100 friends and family members attended, picking up gray pouches filled with “Liam rocks” and red lollipops before they found their way to their seats.

“Take it to Liam’s place of play,” a message on the pouches instructed, “placing it in a park where he could be a little boy. With this stone forever, he can stay.”

Liam’s laugh

The service marked the first time Husted had seen his son since the Sunday before he disappeared. They had just had a barbecue, and Liam was laughing at the flames on the grill.

In the mortuary, the father tried to describe to the crowd just how contagious his son’s giggle was. How he stole everyone’s attention the second he entered a room.

Liam was an only child. He was on the autism spectrum, and brilliant, his father said. He learned to swim at age 2. He helped his dad chop veggies and mix sauces in the kitchen. And when his dad was hopeless on the barbecue, he’d bring him a fire extinguisher and water.

He was also little apprentice when it came to building things.

“I have no doubt in my mind that he would have made an excellent sheet metal worker,” Husted said. “I loved watching his mind work as he was trying to figure things out. He was just so smart and crafty.”

Husted recalled the kisses and tight bear hugs his son would give him when he got home. He talked about the times Liam ran into his room, grabbed his cup of tea, chugged it, then ran right back out, laughing.

“I caught him one time standing on top of my fridge just to get cookies and candy,” Husted said. “My angel was fearless.”

Disappearance

Four days before Liam’s body was found, Husted arrived home to find the boy, his mother and their belongings missing, police have said.

Rodriguez had left Husted a voicemail saying: “I’m sorry. I had to do this.”

She continued, saying, “I’m going to try to get a house for Liam and I” and that “we can talk about this in the future,” according to Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Ray Spencer.

The day before hikers found Liam’s body in Mountain Springs, Liam and his mother were staying at a Las Vegas hotel, police have said.

Investigators initially referred to Liam as John “Little Zion” Doe as they worked to identify him, fielding hundreds of tips from across the country.

Rodriguez’s arrest warrant did not detail how Liam died, but the document noted that he was found with “multiple injuries.” The Clark County coroner’s office has not released Liam’s cause and manner of death.

On Friday, the Rev. George Aranha knelt in front of Liam’s casket and prayed.

“It is a celebration of life, although such a short, fleeting life,” he said. “Like a butterfly that has touched us and has flown away.”

As the service concluded, each person in the pews extended their arms. Figuratively, they blessed Liam.

Husted asked that those interested in honoring his son consider donating to The Asperger/Autism Network in Liam’s memory.

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.