The heartbroken mother of a beloved Perth FIFO worker found dead after a 10-day search has broken her silence to ask the public not to donate to a GoFundMe page set up without her familyâs consent.
William Carter went missing on December 6 after being dropped off at Perth Airport by his mum. On Tuesday, police confirmed his body had been found.
Mr Carterâs grieving mother Jenny OâBryne has now been forced to speak out after a fundraiser was launched without her permission.
âIt has come to our attention that some GoFundMe pages have been set up, tacitly implying our consent to ask the public for money to donate to his funeral costs,â Ms OâBryne said.
âWe are (concerned) that people purporting to be close to Bill could post and ask for public donations so soon after his passing.
âAs his mother, father and sister, we are totally saddened by this.â
Ms OâBryne said her family would never ask anyone for money and she was troubled that posts had been put out implying her consent.
âOur focus is to treat our son with the quiet dignity that he held throughout his life,â she said.
Ms OâBryne also thanked the community for their help during the search for Bill and the outpouring of love she received following the tragic news of his passing.
âWe would like to thank all of the people in WA and far beyond who took time and effort to post thoughts and prayers for Bill.
âShould the decision be made to be able to bury our son, we shall endeavour to make sure that people who have donated are paid back, or the proceeds of this conduct goes to worthy mental health initiatives to really help those who suffer anxiety and depression and feel just so beaten down and trapped, with no way out.
âAs a family to those people with these struggles…..we hear you!â
Ms OâBryne shared more photos of her much-loved son, saying she wanted the images of him online to represent him in recent times.
âThis is a really happy one,â she said, in reference to a picture of Mr Carter sitting on a rock by the beach smiling widely.
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
