Finnigan Danne was found dead Sunday.The Canadian Press
Neighbours walking by the modest townhouse at 1 Trudy Court on Monday afternoon slowed as they passed a small makeshift memorial erected on the lawn.
Flowers and cards lay at the base of a tree, with candles spelling out "Finn" burning low nearby. A table with coffee, water bottles and half-eaten pastries stood on the front lawn. A nearby field, with a playground and swings, was deserted.
The quiet suburban street in Dundas, Ont., part of Hamilton, was left coping with the loss of one of their own: an 11-year-old boy with a neuromuscular disorder, known to neighbours and friends as Finn, a "sweetheart."
Finnigan Danne went missing from his home shortly after 10 a.m. on Saturday, launching a 27-hour search by police and neighbours that came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon, when a volunteer searcher found his body.
Hamilton police said on Monday that Finn drowned in a culvert around the corner from his home, shortly after he disappeared.
Zinta Kalnins, who lives across the street, said a visiting friend noted the sombre mood in the neighbourhood earlier in the day.
"She drove up and said, 'You could cut the grief with a knife.' It's just this heavy, heavy feeling in the area," Ms. Kalnins said.
Investigators believe Finn – barefoot and wearing a Special Olympics T-shirt with grey shorts – slipped out of the house unbeknownst to his mother and walked around the block, crawling into the opening of a storm sewer under the roadway.
Less than an hour after police issued an Amber Alert on Sunday afternoon, Finn's body was found in the culvert where many had searched – including officers, a mounted unit, ATVs and canine units, as well as roughly 200 community volunteers.
"We do believe it was accidental and there is nothing to suggest criminality. It's just a tragedy," acting Detective-Sergeant David Brady told reporters Monday afternoon.
Finn walked with a significant limp and had limited mobility without a wheelchair, which he left at home on Saturday. The boy, who had an older brother, was set to start Grade 7 at Sir William Osler Elementary School in September.
Following the lengthy initial search, and given Finn's limited mobility, "consideration was given to the possibility that Finnigan had been abducted," a Hamilton police news release said, explaining why an Amber Alert was issued a day after the boy's disappearance.
Police said Finn's body first went undetected because of poor visibility inside the culvert, where he lay submerged in water.
Ms. Kalnins said she wishes the Amber Alert had been issued sooner. "That was hurtful to us," she said. "We would have liked for it to happen right away."
David Ewen, whose three children also knew Finn, said he still had questions after police spoke on Monday. He, too, wanted an Amber Alert issued sooner.
"None of us slept last night," he said. "Our neighbourhood has changed."
A group of mothers in the area are organizing a candlelit vigil for Finn on Tuesday night. They are asking for donations for the family, who rebuilt their home after a devastating fire 10 years ago. The family did not comment Monday.
Ms. Kalnins said she always saw Finn with a caregiver when he was outside. Last week, she spotted them on a blanket reading stories and playing games for several hours. "He stuck out," she said. "Through all difficulties that he did have, he was such a bright little soul."
Jennifer Walter, whose eight-year-old son attended the same school, said Finn was known by many of the kids. "He was just infectious. When you saw him, you smiled because he was so adorable," she said, visibly moved by the loss.
Ms. Walter was walking by the culvert on Sunday afternoon when police tape went up and news of Finn's death spread. "It went quiet and there were a lot of tears," she said. "I personally just feel sick about it all."
That evening, Ms. Walter's young son learned of his schoolmate's death. Upset, he walked out of the house and placed rows of candles in front of Finn's home.
"He pointed to a star above the house and said, 'That's Finn's star now,'" Ms. Walter said.