An online fundraiser was started Monday for the family of a 6-year-old non-verbal boy on the autism spectrum who drowned in a Westford lake after escaping his home.
In the fundraiser, Zayan Mayanja is remembered as a “wonderful son” who “brought joy through his love for reading and animals” by his mother, Nazifah Kinene.
Kinene said a funeral service for the boy will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Boston Muslim Cemetery on Lowell Street in Peabody.
“Zayan will remain in our hearts forever,” Kinene wrote in the GoFundMe.
At around 12:08 a.m. Monday, Zayan was found in Nabnasset Lake behind a residence on Lake Shore Drive South, Westford Police said in a statement. Police immediately began life-saving measures, including CPR, on the boy, who was later brought to Lowell General Hospital. Zayan was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to police.
An investigation into the boy’s death remains ongoing.
“The Westford Police Department extends its deepest condolences to Zayan’s family and friends and ask that members of the public and media respect the family’s privacy during this tragic time,” the statement reads.
The GoFundMe has raised $12,600 of it’s $10,000 goal as of Wednesday morning.
Zayan was a student in Westford Public Schools, and the district is making grief counselors available to friends and family members who need assistance, according to the statement.
