Mother reacts to 19-year-old son’s death

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - A loss that will sting forever.

That’s how a Jonesboro woman is reacting to the death of her son.

On the night of Aug. 14, 19-year-old Madison Wilfong was found suffering from a gunshot wound on Ferrell Drive in Jonesboro.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

Now, his mother is remembering the life of her child, who she says is gone too soon.

Martina Wilfong said she’s taking the mourning process slowly and is never sure how the next day will go.

“I’m still processing that this actually happened,” she said. “To me, and especially to my son, he didn’t deserve this at all. It’s a nightmare, you know. I’m just waiting to wake up and see him there, but he’s just not here.”

The loss of her son will always stick with her, but one thing helping her get through is the great memories she made with him.

“Every time I went and picked him up, he was always smiling, walking to the car. I was like, ‘Why are you smiling so much?’ and he would always say, ‘I don’t know,’ and that’s something that’s really sticking with me right now,” she said. “He always had a smile on his face. He could’ve been having a bad day, but he always had a smile on his face.”

For parents, she said always to watch what their children are doing and what they are involved in.

“It’s all about choices in life. Who you hang with,” she said. “It’s so important as parents that we get involved in their lives. We need to know who they’re hanging with, what they’re listening to, what they’re watching, cause they’re one way with us, then they’re another when they leave out that door.”

Madison Wilfong was laid to rest on Aug. 27.

On Sept. 8, police arrested a 17-year-old boy suspected of shooting him. The Jonesboro Police Department did not release the suspect’s identity due to his age.

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