Skip to main content

Diego and Camila Ruiz, 8 and 6, bring flowers to the Milton, Ont., home where a two-year-old boy died of heat stroke on Wednesday after spending considerable time in a very hot car.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail

Family, friends and members of the public have gathered at a church west of Toronto for the funeral of a toddler who died last week after being left alone in a sweltering car.

The priest leading the traditional Catholic mass for Maximus Huyskens says the two-year-old's death was tragic and senseless.

He called on those in the church to do their best to support the toddler's parents and older siblings.

Some mourners teared up during the service, while others listened quietly to the prayers and hymns. A small white casket lay before the altar.

Police have said Max died after "being exposed to high-level temperatures for an extended period of time" in a sedan outside a Milton, Ont., home.

Investigators say the child was in the care of his maternal grandmother, who is in her 50s, while his father was at work and his mother was at an appointment

Interact with The Globe