The Autism News | English


A wrenching portrait of a family’s struggle to help their severely autistic son emerged Tuesday during the inquiry into the deaths of the 11-year-old boy and his father.

Jeremy Bostick was found dead alongside his father, Jeffrey Bostick, two years ago. The disabled boy’s father had sealed them inside a room in their Edmonton basement, stuffing linens into the vents, duct-taping the doors and opening a canister of carbon monoxide until they died together.

The family was under severe stress at the time, fighting constantly to get help for their out-of-control child, the fatality inquiry heard Tuesday.

The boy was prone to violent outbursts and staff were either leaving because of his behavioural problems or because funding would run out. One doctor suggested the child was too difficult to handle and should be given up for adoption.

“It was difficult because we needed services now. Our child was in desperate need,” said Deena Caputo, Bostick’s common-law wife.

“We would get somebody, but they would just not like the situation and walk away, and we would lose all services completely.”

In emotional testimony Tuesday, Caputo said she could almost pinpoint the moment Bostick lost all hope for his boy.

$90,000 behind on care payments
“His eyes were glossed over. He wasn’t human,” Caputo said, recounting her husband’s first visit to the lockdown group home where they were told Jeremy would have to be transferred. “It’s like he snapped. He didn’t say a word, not one word.”

Before that, Jeremy began showing improvements in 2008, Caputo said. He was able to stay at a private facility the government was funding at a cost of $32,000 a month. He was there on weekdays and was tended to by two workers.

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