‘They see the worst part’: Law enforcement, first responder agencies honored at vigil for Fayette County toddler

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Neighbors in the Fayette County community gathered Wednesday night to remember and honor the life of 1-year-old Kahleb Collins and 2 -year-old Ryleigh Collins.

Investigators believe that Kahleb Collins’ remains were found in a burn pile outside of his family’s home, the tragic case shocking many who live in the area.

Not only did organizers want to remember Kahleb and Ryleigh Collins, they also wanted to thank the many law enforcement and first responder agencies who have had to work on the heartbreaking case.

Dan Newburn isn’t from Alabama, but as a missing person advocate, he knew he had to help the Fayette County community when he first learned about the story of missing Kahleb.

“This one hits hard, how can a family do that to their own child,” Newburn, who runs the TikTok Account ‘Missing In USA’, said. “The community needs an organization to come together because this is a tragic time for the whole entire community.”

Not only was Wednesday night’s vigil a time for the community to grieve after it was confirmed two months ago that human remains were found at the Collins family home, Newburn also wanted to recognize the many men and women who have worked on the case.

“A lot of people don’t realize that when it comes to law enforcement agencies or first responders, search teams, they’re first in, they see the worst part of it, they deal with the worst part of it, they deal with the evidence, so that goes through them so they deserve recognition they deserve appreciation, that’s why we’re doing this,” Newburn said.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office was among the agencies who were honored.

“It means a lot to us to know we have community behind us,” Sheriff Byron Yerby told WBRC. “They’ve been supportive all through the investigation, even when we were on the crime scene they were very supportive, stopped to offer drinks, food, we’re glad to have the community behind us.”

Newburn’s message for all who attended the vigil was to stay aware to prevent a story like Kahleb and Ryleigh’s from ever happening again

“If you see something, say something, because this could have been prevented but unfortunately people didn’t speak up,” Newburn said.

Sheriff Yerby says those human remains are still being tested to see whether or not they do belong to Kahleb. His mother Wendy Pam Bailey and Grandfather John Elton Bailey remain jailed on multiple charges related to his disappearance and to Ryleigh’s death.

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