More than 13,000 people have donated $265,000 to the family of 15-year-old Quawan Charles, who was found dead in a sugarcane field near the village of Loreauville in Louisiana on Nov. 3.

The devastating story has slowly caused outrage across the country as details and photos were released to the public.

"On the evening of October 30th, Quawan Charles was picked up from his father’s house by a white male and his mother. His body was found November 2nd. The parish of St. Mary refuses to release the findings of the autopsy. In response, the family is attempting to raise funds needed to conduct a second autopsy before his funeral," the family wrote on the GoFundMe page.

The Washington Post later identified the mother and son who picked Charles up as Gavin and Janet Irvin. His body was found near their trailer park home.

"An individual autopsy needs to be conducted before November 12th to ensure that all findings by the medical examiner can come back conclusive. The family, represented by Celina Charles, has direct access to the funds and asks that you give what you can during this difficult time to assist in raising funds for burial, autopsy, and additional costs that may arise," the family added.

The family shared graphic photos of the child who appeared to suffer significant injuries to his face, with many on social media drawing comparisons to the gruesome injuries suffered by Emmett Till when the 14-year-old was lynched in 1955.

The family has since had to hire their own investigators and is now in the process of having an independent autopsy done.

From the beginning, Charles' parents have begged police to take action in the case. Police in Baldwin, Louisiana, have outright refused to investigate the child's death while the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office said it will take months for them to release any information.

Witnesses have told multiple news outlets that Gavin and Janet were on psychedelic mushrooms at the time of Charles' disappearance and death.

Despite finding Charles' body near the family's home, the police have not arrested anyone in the family and continue to say that the 15-year-old drowned in ankle-high water. Authorities also refused to issue an Amber Alert after the child's parents said he was missing.

The Washington Post spoke with neighbors of Janet who said it would be impossible for someone to drown in water that shallow. Others slammed the local police for moving slowly and failing to arrest any of the people who were involved in the case.

“If it was a white kid, they would have looked for him right then and there,” said Tambara Bonnet, who lived next to the Irvin's.

Her fiance, Kevin Archon, echoed those remarks, telling the newspaper, “If it was a white person — if it was one of their kids — people would have probably been in jail by now.”

Charles' family members have also leveled harsh criticism against the police department for not notifying local news outlets or other police departments in the area.

HAPPENING NOW: Protestors are gathered outside of Iberia Parish Courthouse for #QuawanCharles. Charles was found dead in a rural area off Ed Broussard Road near Loreauville three days later on November 3, 2020. pic.twitter.com/4Rso9eZIjh

— Eman Boyd (@emanboydtv) November 11, 2020

Investigators hired by the family said they saw moving trucks near the Irvin home and both Archon and Bonnet said the family moved out on Wednesday. The police have not explained why the family is not being investigated considering they were the last ones to see Charles alive.

Roxanne Nelson and Kenneth Jacko, Charles' parents, also spoke with The Washington Post and said they went to the Irvins' home before Charles' body was found.

“[Gavin] said Quawan got up and said he was leaving. [Gavin] asked about where Quawan was going, and after that, he disappeared,” Jacko told The Washington Post, adding that police later found Charles' body near the home.

“I want the lady who came to get my son without my permission, his dad’s permission, to be held accountable. She took them to her house. He was alive and well when he was here, and now he is dead,” Nelson said.

The mayor of Baldwin, Louisiana, bashed the local police chief for being absent in the case and many others during an interview with local news outlet KLFY.

“I’m being conservative, probably nine months now I have not physically laid eyes on him much less had a conversation with him. In this last incident where the missing child ended up being found in Iberia Parish, it just brought it up to where it’s bubbling over now, and something has to be done. Something has to be done. We can’t continue to go this way. The town deserves better, and the town’s paying for it to be quite frank with you,” Baldwin Mayor Phil Prejean said.

“You’re withdrawing a salary and not providing any service. I think that’s something that’s wrong. You’re on a full salary from the public, and you’re not providing anything in return. I don’t know why he wants to be chief of police. It’s kind of an either/or. You either do your job or you get out the way. I think the town deserves that,” he added.

A rally was held this week by local activists, who said Charles' death was emblematic of the way local police treat Black children.

“Police and people in this state that have perversely racially biased tendencies, when they see our children, they don’t see their children,” activist Jamal Taylor said.

Janet-Irvin

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