American offers $100 to identify author of autism letter
Posted August 22, 2013 6:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The American father of an autistic boy is offering $100 to anyone who can positively identify the author of a hate-filled letter that sparked outrage in Canada and abroad this week.
The letter was sent last Friday to the grandmother of Max Begley, a 13-year-old autistic boy in Newcastle, telling her to move or have the teenager euthanized.
It was signed by someone claiming to be a mother in the area who was upset about noises the boy made when he was outside.
But Wade Huntley from West Jordan, Utah, who calls himself “the proud father of a son with autism,” says he cannot avoid addressing the issue and says $100 is all he can afford.
In making his offer via a comment posted on Toronto Star late Wednesday, he says the author “does not deserve anonymity after the hateful things that she said.”
On his website, avoiceformyson.com, Huntley calls the author a “coward” who has chosen to hide behind anonymity.
“Given the hurtful things that you have said, I doubt it will require any reward for someone to reveal who you are.”
Meanwhile, the family of the boy has received offers from people to pay their bills, send them on holiday or give them gift cards.
The mayor Clarington has also reached out, saying the community stands behind Max and his family. Newcastle is located within Clarington.
Max and his family have also found support online – and from all over the world. Colleen Plunkett, a New York woman, has created a Facebook group for Max’s grandmother, Brenda Millson, and the boy’s mother, Karla.
The group “We Support the Grandma who got mean letter from “neighbor“” has more than 3,000 members Thursday morning, and hundreds of thousands of people have viewed the original CityNews story online.
Police have launched a criminal investigation but have said the letter does not constitute a hate crime.
