Spider-Man for Spicer: KY community mourns 10-year-old boy at funeral service
Spider-Man cast a web of blue and red over Breathitt County on Thursday to commemorate 10-year-old Jayden Spicer.
Everything from balloons, banners and costumes was Spider-Man-themed at the Eastern Kentucky funeral for the boy who loved the Marvel superhero.
More than 60 law enforcement and first responder agencies participated in his funeral procession, which ran through the town of Jackson and brought people to the edges of the road to release balloons.
The outpouring of love and support was a “beautiful thing for a sad occasion,” said Charlene Prater, one of many people lined up for the procession.
To see the town gather, she said, showed the community always shows up for one another.
“There were other people who would have supported that child,” she said.
Jayden’s body was found Aug. 12, buried in a heavily wooded area of Breathitt County. His mother and stepfather, Felicia Gross, 33, and Josh Gross, 41, were indicted for the boy’s death.
Felicia Gross had reported her son missing Aug. 6, setting off a six-day search. She later admitted to police she had given him sleeping medication, which she thought caused a medical emergency, and buried him in Breathitt County.
At Jayden’s funeral Thursday, Spider-Man signs welcomed mourners at the entrance of Breathitt Funeral Home.
One attendee was dressed as the superhero. An inflatable sat outside the funeral home. Jayden’s casket, as well as the flowers surrounding it, were Spider-Man-themed.
School was canceled in the Breathitt County School Districts and students and staff continued to grieve.
Many of Thursday’s attendees wore red and blue shirts that read, “Justice for Jayden.”
“We all stick together,” Prater said. “Through the hard times and the easy times.”
