Massachusetts Park Honors Memory Of Neglected Teen

FALL RIVER, MA — Fall River Heritage State Park planted a new linden tree in its picnic area today to honor David Almond, a 14-year-old who died from domestic abuse and neglect in 2020.

David's father, John Almond, and John's girlfriend, Jaclyn Marie Coleman, were indicted in April 2021 on charges of Second Degree Murder and Neglect of a Disabled Person Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, according to the Fall River Reporter. Both pleaded not guilty and are committed without bail.

David, one of triplets, and his brothers were in and out of their father's care for years under the supervision of the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

"Every single safeguard failed David," Maria Mossaides, Director of the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), said in a March 2021 press conference.

David's case prompted the OCA to conduct a thorough five-month investigation into what it later called the "multi-system failure" that led to his death.

Several state entities, including the DCF, have since implemented sweeping changes in an effort to prevent a case like David's from happening again.

As an autistic teenager, David faced a higher risk of neglect and maltreatment. Children with disabilities are at least three times more likely to be maltreated than their peers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report.

The Fall River Police Department launched its Autism and Special Needs Child I.D. Program in February 2022, giving parents and guardians the chance to provide crucial information about their kids to the department, such as any sensory processing issues they might have. The extra information could help keep children safe in an emergency that involves police.

"Let it be known by all that David Almond was a capable, caring and courageous young man," the OCA said in a tribute. "Always smiling, David's presence was known and felt instantaneously when he entered a room."

The linden tree, planted Friday in David's honor, now stands beside a bench also dedicated to him at Fall River Heritage State Park.