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Family holds lantern release for 4-year-old boy who Jacksonville police say was murdered

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The family of a 4-year-old boy who Jacksonville police say was murdered held a lantern release on Sunday night at Baker Point Park.

James Reese Jr. was brought to Wolfson Children’s Hospital on April 15 for a broken collarbone, and doctors found head injuries too, Cristopher Nastasi, the boy’s uncle, told News4Jax.

Nastasi said the boy died Wednesday from his injuries.

According to a JSO database, the incident that caused the boy’s death occurred April 15, but the death was not determined to be a murder until Thursday.

Family members wanted to do this lantern release for James to know they still love him and care about him and demand answers about his death.

“This is more of a justice for James because we’re really upset that nobody’s in custody, nobody’s answering for the murder of my nephew,” said Christopher Nastasi.

No arrests have been announced.

“It’s frustrating that the people responsible are just out there enjoying their lives and here we are nothing the loss of a little one in our family,” Nastasi said.

The family set up a GoFundMe account to pay for a funeral for James.