Loved ones grieve 2-year-old killed by fallen redwood tree in North Bay storm
OCCIDENTIAL, Calif. - The family of a two-year-old boy from Sonoma County was overwhelmed with grief after a redwood tree collapsed on their home during Wednesday's storm, killing the boy.
The young boy, Aeon Tocchini, was crushed by a rain-soaked redwood tree that fell on his home on Joy Road in Occidental. He was found covered in debris, according to Occidental Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ron Lunardi.
Aeon's grandmother, Aileen Tocchini, flew in from Idaho to try and help the boy's parents pick up the pieces.
"His life was a short life. But his life has made a difference and will continue to make a difference, I believe, for many generations. And Aeon means forever," Tocchini said.
Aeon's mother, Aisha Tocchini, told KTVU on Thursday that she had been feeding the horses on the property along Joy Road when she heard an explosion around 5 p.m. The noise she had heard was the crack of a tree that had toppled the family's double-wide trailer.
MORE COVERAGE: Aftermath of the latest Bay Area storm
A large section of the redwood landed directly on little Aeon who was sitting on a couch. The boy's father was also inside the house, but he managed to climb out of the rubble.
However, Aeon was pinned under the tree and his family couldn't move the tree off him. Neighbors had to cut the trunk into pieces before they were able to free his body. But it was too late.
Kipper Capell lives down the street and recalled the horror from the night before.
"I stayed up all night because I couldn't get her (the boy's mother) cries of anguish out of my head," said Capell.
Capell said first responders tried hard to save the boy.
"They did a lot of work trying to revive the little one, and he was just never breathing he said.
Aeon's pet cat, Lio, was also killed after a second tree collapsed on the home as the family was trying to free the boy.
Aeon's nickname was "Goldie" because of his blond hair and sunny personality, the light of his family's life.
His grandmother remembers the last conversation she had with him before he was killed.
"I talked to him about two hours before it happened, and he told me he missed me," Aileen Tocchini said. "And he was just like always loving and telling you how much he loved you."
Aeon is survived by two siblings, Eden and Danny, who were not injured when the tree fell.
A GoFundMe was created to help the entire family rebuild their destroyed home and truck, as well as pay for the funeral of a toddler who loved to dance and play in the outdoors. As of Friday afternoon, the fund had raised more than $180,000 from about 2,600 people.