More than 35 bicycles and dozens of toys were given away to children in need in Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties over the weekend by the family of the late toddler Koltyn Sparks-Blackwood, whose homicide death remains unsolved nearly two years later.
The family gave away the bikes and toys Saturday afternoon in a parking lot across the street from The Junction shopping center in East Sonora. Tracy Gulcynski, Koltyn’s paternal grandmother, said it was their first year doing the giveaway using money raised from their annual Koltyn’s Ride motorcycle event in honor of the slain toddler.
“We miss Koltyn, and if we can’t shower him with gifts, we’re going to do it for other children,” she said. “It’s been a rough year for a lot of people, and it feels good giving.”
Other families and their children were invited to get a bike or toys via the family’s “Justiceforkoltyn” Facebook group, which they launched months after the toddler’s death on Jan. 15, 2019, while still awaiting results on his autopsy from the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.
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