Braydon Worldon: family pays heartfelt tribute one year after teen killed in suspected hit and run
The heartbroken family of teenager Braydon Worldon - who was left to die alone on a rural road in a suspected hit and run a year ago - have spoken out about how hard it’s been “without his beautiful smile”.
The Wagga News
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The mother of a teenage boy killed in a suspected hit and run recently published a heartfelt statement to commemorate the one-year anniversary of that tragic day as police investigations continue.
Wantabadgery teenager Braydon Worldon was known around town as a “little worker” with a strong mind and “a heart of gold” who always put others before himself.
So when he celebrated his fifthteen birthday in December 2018, his family could not have been prouder of the young man growing up before their eyes.
Little did they know that this would be the last family barbecue Braydon would attend.
At 1.30am on December 19, 2018 – the morning after Braydon's birthday – the teenager's lifeless body was spotted by a passing motorist on River Road, about 45km east of Wagga.
While initially believing that Braydon was injured and needed help, the motorist soon realised the boy was dead, alerting emergency services who quickly established a crime scene.
Following post-mortem examinations early last year, police revealed that they believed a heavy vehicle with a bullbar had likely hit Braydon.
However, more than a year after his death, numerous questions remain unanswered, with work by the Crash Investigation Unit and the establishment of a strike force providing little closure for his heartbroken family.
In December last year, Brayon's mother, Crystal Worldon, wrote a tribute on Facebook to mark the one year anniversary of his death.
“I love you so much, Braydon, and miss (you) so much my heart hurts,” she wrote.
She said that she wandered around aimlessly looking for him, just to be “heartbroken again” knowing she would not see him “until my time here is over”.
“I can't believe it's been 12 months since I heard the [most] painful news of my life that some coward took you away from me.”
Ms Worldon also said it's been a “hard struggle” without Braydon's “beautiful smile … and cheekiness.”
Living with his mother, Braydon was also helping out on the farm.
Photos of the teenager show his love of the outdoors, including “anything to do with fishing” in the Riverina.
Braydon's family have said it was out of character for him to walk along the remote country highway alone and without his phone.
But they believe he was likely heading to his great grandmother, June Worldon, about 7km away when he was hit by a vehicle.
Ms Worldon said the family continued to mourn and that the longer they live without answers, the more it hurts.
“We’re in limbo and we just answers,” she told The Wagga News yesterday.
“He was a good kid, he used to always come around and help me with work, like mowing the lawn. He never really had a father figure and became independent very early on.”
She also remembers Braydon as someone who took on more burden than most teenagers.
“He was saving up and thought a lot about buying a house one day for his family,” she said.
Had he arrived at her place, he would have slept on the couch outside before sunrise to not wake her up, June said.
She continues to hope for a breakthrough in the investigation, saying: “I’d love to have him back and would do anything for that".
“I suppose whoever hit him might’ve thought it was a kangaroo and they didn’t want to think of the scenario that it may be a human being,” she said.
The last image she has of Braydon was his “beautiful, smiling face” because “they didn’t let me see him before the funeral”.
“They said he was too knocked about," June said.
On River Road, a memorial site continues to pay tribute to the 15-year-old.
Displayed is a fishing rod and a wide-brimmed hat that has the text: “Rest easy, Braydon”.
One month after his death, police re-appealed for public help in the investigation.
Officers from Riverina Police District had hoped members of the public would step forward with new leads or evidence such as dashcam footage from the night Braydon died.
However, there have been no public updates on the investigation since.
Last week, Riverina police’s crime manager Inspector Adrian Telfer told The Wagga News that no fresh information has been received but investigations continue.
At a previous media conference, Riverina police Superintendent Bob Noble said it was “a tremendous concern and source of great sorrow for the community”.
“It’s very dark, it’s obvious a country road … so a driver of a heavy vehicle or similar may not know or may not have realised,” Superintendent Noble said.
“There wasn’t a lot else in the way of physical evidence at the scene.”
Police continue to urge anyone with information to call the Wagga station on 6922 2599 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.