Joe Huizenga, pastor and executive director at Roseland Christian Ministries, was preparing for his day at his Washington Park home when 2-month old Kayson Flowers’ mother called him shrieking and sobbing.
“My baby’s dead, they killed my baby, he’s black and blue.”
About a month after his death, Kayson’s family and Roseland Christian Ministries were offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Kayson’s death, which was ruled a homicide due to multiple injuries from child abuse, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A vigil is being held Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Roseland Community Ministries, 10858 S. Michigan Ave., in honor of the child.
“Kayson was not just a child — he was an infant. A baby. His life had only just begun when it was violently and senselessly taken from him,” a joint statement from the Flowers family and the Roseland Christian Ministries said:
“He never got the chance to say his first words, take his first steps, or celebrate his first birthday. The loss of Kayson is not just a personal tragedy — it is a moral crisis.
“We are calling on the community to come forward with any information that could lead to an arrest and conviction. Someone out there knows something. Please — if you saw something, heard something, or suspect something, now is the time to speak. Justice cannot wait.”
The 2-month-old was found unresponsive at his home in the 200 block of West 106th Street about 10:15 a.m. April 26 after his mother picked him up from his father, according to authorities and Huizenga.
Relatives took him to Roseland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m. April 28, police said.
In the month following Kayson’s death, his mother has been seeing a counselor but “justice remains her biggest concern.”
“It’s just absolutely horrific, it shook the family,” Huizenga said. “We’re not going to be silent. We’re not going to stop, we just want to make sure that there’s justice for Kayson.”
The Flowers family are members of Roseland Christian Ministries, according to Huizenga. Kayson and his mother attended church every Sunday, and Kayson was baptized by Huizenga.
“He was a really, really beautiful baby,” Huizenga said. “He had chubby little cheeks [and] a beautiful skin tone.”
When Kayson and his mother were at church, the boy would always look for her whenever someone else was carrying him.
“He clearly loved his mom,” Huizenga said.