DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The body of 24-year-old Jalen Shaw was recovered from the water in Eastwood MetroPark on Monday.
His mother, Johnetta Shaw said her son Jalen was a very kind, intelligent boy, and her family is deeply broken and shocked by the loss of his life.
“Hearing the news, like I said, it’s nothing that I’ve ever entertained in my mind or imagined,” Johnetta said.
Jalen had schizophrenia, and through the years, Johnetta let police know about her son’s mental health issues.
She said they were always understanding of Jalen’s condition. It was not uncommon for her to get calls from police, but when she got the call from authorities about his death, she was shocked.
Jalen was her only son and second child to the family. He was enrolled at Otterbein University and was extremely gifted.
Johnetta said she has always been an advocate for her son’s mental health, and as she remembers her son’s life, she encourages others to do the same.
“He was loving,” she said. “He was my son. He was brilliant, and he had an illness. That’s the bottom line of it. There were good days and there were hard days, and just as an advocate, I would say, if you have a loved one that is going through anything, it’s not a situation where you tell them, hey, just, you know, get it together or you need to do this or you need to do that. It’s an illness, and what you need to do is support them.”
The celebration for Jalen Shaw’s will start with a viewing from 10am-11am, with the funeral following it from 11am to 12pm at Omega Baptist Church on Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023.
If you would like to donate to the family, you can contribute here.
