On August 5 2014 something no parent is prepared for happened. Louis DeCosmo`s 2 year old son was murdered do to child abuse and neglect. With over 70 marks covering his body from head to toe. A split pancreas and liver also with a broken rib mason`s little body couldn`t take the abuse any longer. On this day he crawled into bed alone to go to sleep and never woke up again. Mason`s little brother Jaxon was also badly abused from head to toe. Jaxon would survive the abuse he went through but at this time he still wouldn`t be reunited with his father. Mason`s mother refused to give police Louis DeCosmo`s phone number for him to be reunited with his son Jaxon so he was put into a foster family. The next day CPS in Ulster County would finally get in touch with Louis and ask him to come up to there office so they could speak with him. On august 6 2014 as Louis would sit in a room with his mother and sister they would all hear for the first time Mason was in a accident and we are sorry but he didn`t make it. The room went quiet it was like the world stopped completely at that moment. Louis remembers hearing his mom yell no and his sister starting to cry and asking them to please leave the room. He sat there alone taking it all in. At this very moment all of there lives were changing and not asingle change was anything good at that moment.

The next day Louis would have to enter into a court room to file for his son Jaxon since he was put into the foster families care. The law guardian that was assigned to Mason and Jaxon entered into a small conference room and questioned Louis on how he would take care of his son do to being completely blind. That day Louis left the court house now with a temporary custody order with getting full soul custody of Jaxon. But even then he still wouldn`t get his son back just yet as he needed to go into a different court room in a different county to get his son back. After that court hearing Jaxon was sent back home with his dad. He was handed his 8 month old son with 1 bag and inside that bag was a few diapers, a couple of bottles a baby rattle and a few pieces of clothes. Now on top of all of this he was planning for his sons funeral. People from all over were sending messages stopping by the house sending things for Jaxon. In just a matter of a few days everything he could have needed was there. Over the next few days he would plan and prepare for Mason`s funeral. Mason loved cars and loved lining them up in a straight line. He would take them in his bedroom and start them at his door and just keep adding more one by one until he ran out of cars. His favorite one of all was his Mator from the movie Disney cars. So many times he would knock the tow hook off the back and bring it to his dad and he would put it back on and say May May you have to go easy and he would run off and a little while come right back to have it put back on. Mason also loved motorcycles from his ride on bike that he would go zooming around the house on to anytime he heard a bike rolling down the road he ran to the screen door or jumped onto the large front window of the house till he saw it go flying.



Through all of this there was a group page created called Mason`s Voice on Facebook and with that groups help Louis was able to round up cars and motorcycles from all over the area for the day of mason`s funeral. As hundreds of bikes started to roll in and hundreds of cars line up Louis stood over his sons casket speaking to him for the very last time holding his hand and rubbing his head. He made a promise to him that day before he left and as he was standing there bumped a car that was lined up under the casket and it was his Mator truck that he loved so he took it and placed it into his casket in his right hand he took his buzz light year and put that into his left hand as that toy so many times they would be playing in the bedroom flying him around as Mason ran in a circle trying to catch him or be chased by him with his dad. Before the casket closed Louis placed his hat inside and his pair of headphones as these also meant a lot to Mason he loved stealing his dads hat and wearing it he also loved music anytime he could sit with his dad and take the headphones he would and dance around. So he placed those with him so he would have them forever. As Louis walked outside the funeral home he could hear all the sounds bikes running fire trucks pulling up peple talking some people still crying balloons being handed out and then it was time to take Mason`s last ride. We headed down the street as police blocked off the roads on the way to the cemetery people stood outside there homes watching everyone drive by. We got to the cemetery as hundreds filled in we all said goodbye to Mason. Louis picked up a handful of dirt before leaving to put it on top of the casket to say goodbye to Mason for one final time.

After this there would be court trial after court trial for months.

Starting in August and not ending till June of 2015. During that time countless calls into CPS against Louis would happen with attempts to try and have Jaxon removed from him. None were ever founded at any time and to this day Jaxon still lives and stays with his Dad.In oct of 2014 a few of the people that became friends with Louis all sat down to create a non for profit at that time witch would be called Mason`s Voice. It was created to be able to provide help for families from needed items to holiday assistance. But it would grow from this as the months passed and years went by more people would reach out to us for help now not just asking for items and holiday help but questions about court or problems with CPS would come in on a regular bases. Louis received a message one day from a grandmother that was having issues not being able to see her grandchild. He went over with her all the steps to take and within a few months she was able to regain her connection to that grandchild. In 2019 the board members of Mason`s Voice decided on a name change as at this time we were not just Mason`s Voice but a voice for all children that were being silenced. With the new Mason DeCosmo Foundation name they also released a community radio station called WMLD The Voice of The Hudson Valley as a platform to be able to get a message out in a much larger way in the future. Louis still takes in calls and messages regarding CPS cases as well as helps with court cases and the foundation still operates to help the local families in the community it serves in. Louis said he was not going to allow what happen to his sons to make him a bitter person but to use this to give back and make sure no other parent or child has to go through what his sons and him went through. He has said to so many people when they ask how do you keep going on? His response is I know one day I will see Mason again and on that day I want him to be able to look at me and say Dad after all these years have passed there wasn`t a single day you stopped loving or caring about me. That day to hear that will make all of this worth it and if we were to save only 1 child that in itself would make the foundation be worth it. Keep this in mind as you read this today. As so many saw Mason and could have helped in the future when you se a child don`t blow it off if you see something say something and be that child`s voice!