A 3-year-old boy who tragically drowned in a Westchester stream had just moved to the area with his mom, who was trying to “start a new life” for them, according to their heartbroken family.
Zaire Alberick wandered from his family’s Mamaroneck home with their dog Thursday around noon, setting off a frantic search by his grandfather and neighbors.
He was reported missing around 2:15 p.m.
Police found the toddler’s body about 20 minutes later in the Mamaroneck River, a seven-mile stream that runs through southern Westchester. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
Authorities believe he fell into the water about two blocks from home, drowned and was carried downstream to the Hillside Avenue Bridge where he was found.
Zaire and his mother, Derly Dorval, were staying with family at the time, the boy’s aunt, Denise Barnes, wrote on a GoFundMe page to raise money for the funeral.
Dorval had started working as a nursing assistant at a New Rochelle nursing home and was trying to find an apartment for her and her son.
“Both she and Zaire’s father, Zanetti Alberick, are devastated,” Barnes wrote. “Derly is currently hospitalized due to her grief of losing her only son.”
“We are asking for your prayers and support for this young family as they plan a funeral for their beloved 3-year-old son,” she added.
Dorval, 27, and Zanetti Alberick, 28, previously lived in Suffolk County, according to records.
The fundraiser for the boy had raised over $12,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
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