Spencer Benbolt, 13, was tragically killed after the bin he and his friends were sleeping in was picked up by a garbage truck.
Spencer Benbolt, 13, was tragically killed after the bin he and his friends were sleeping in was picked up by a garbage truck.
EXCLUSIVE
An eerie Facebook post by the mother of a 13-year-old boy killed in the garbage truck accident in Port Lincoln suggests "Budda" had run away five weeks prior to his tragic death.
Deborah Betts, the mother of five sons including Spencer Benbolt Jr, known as Budda, has spoken out online about her "beautiful" son who was killed sleeping in an industrial bin last Tuesday.
Betts has hit back at online "trolls" who have criticised her family in the wake of the tragedy, saying they "don't know f*** all".
In tributes to her son and other posts, a picture has emerged of a cheeky, independent boy who was a storyteller.
Spencer Benbolt, 13, was tragically killed after the bin he and his friends were sleeping in was picked up by a garbage truck.
But as authorities investigate why three young boys were sleeping in an industrial waste bin in Port Lincoln, news.com.au can reveal the haunting Facebook post about Budda's earlier escapade.
Just under six weeks before the accident, Betts posted a picture of Budda on Facebook overlaid with type saying, "Come home please, I'm worried about him … please hunt him home if you see him".
Betts' April post says "anybody seen my son Spencer Benbolt Jr. He goes by Budda Spencer. He hasn't been home since Tuesday morning. If you see him or know where he is, please let me know.
"I've contacted the police, so he's been put down as a missing person."
Deborah's sister, Budda's aunty Jay, also posted the picture, telling others he was "somewhere at somebody's house … just want to get the word out so we can go pick him up".
The post indicates Spencer had also gone missing in April on a Tuesday morning, the same day of the week on which he was killed in the garbage truck accident.
Spencer Benbolt Jr, aka Budda's mother posted this online in April, suggesting the boy may have gone missing previously. Photo / Supplied
In more recent Facebook posts, Betts, who comes from a large South Australian Indigenous family, has written tributes to Budda.
On Thursday, she wrote: "Still thinking of you, wishing it was all a dream.
"Knowing we are not going to hear your crazy stories any more.
"My heart is broken into a million pieces my baby, just want you here with me, your dada and brothers."
In another post celebrating Budda's 16-year-old brother's birthday days after the death, she wrote "I know the timing is off but … wished your little brother was here to help you celebrate."
Spencer 'Budda' Benbolt Jr's mother Deborah Betts has posted tributes to her son, killed in a garbage truck tragedy. Photo / Facebook
The industrial bin at the Repco site in Port Lincoln where Budda died after it was emptied by the garbage truck. Photo / News Limited Network
In a torrent of support on Facebook from friends, relatives and other South Australian Indigenous community members, one woman wrote "please don't read comments".
Posting on Budda's aunt Hailey's page, the woman wrote that Spencer was from a loving home and was a "good sweet boy with a bright smile" and the accidental death could have happened to anyone.
