A boy who had severe autism and lost his life in a fire in Oshawa earlier this month was a cheerful child full of joy, his mother shared.
Bentley Dunn, 11, was discovered deceased inside a trailer that caught fire on Oct. 18.
“He loved to run around and be free, he was very much a free spirit,” said his mother, Amanda Dunn.
Bentley was at his father’s place when the fire started, Dunn mentioned. Despite their separation, she noted they maintained a strong co-parenting bond.
Dunn described Bentley as someone who always radiated happiness and enjoyed playing in pools and sand. He loved giving hugs and liked saying hello to people in the hallways at school.
“He always loved to play with his stuffed animals because he didn’t have a lot of friends because of his autism,” Dunn said.
“He would line them all up and tuck them into bed.”
Every night, Bentley used the blankets he had since infancy – which were lost in the fire, according to Dunn.
Bentley was non-verbal but enjoyed school greatly, especially gym class. He also liked attending Nova’s Ark camp in Whitby that welcomes children with autism.
“It was a space for Bentley to be himself without people judging him,” she said.
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Bentley loved watching Disney movies, particularly Moana 2 and Frozen, his mother Amanda Dunn said. (Amanda Dunn)
Bentley enjoyed dancing and encouraging others to mimic his moves, she shared. He often skipped ahead during Disney movies – particularly Moana 2 and Frozen – so he could dance along with the end credits music.
Recently though, Bentley had shown an interest in rock music too. The last time Dunn saw her son, they drove together to school while rocking out to Thanks for the Memories by Fall Out Boy.
“I could see in the rearview mirror that he was watching me very closely because I was singing all the words to him,” she said.
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Bentley was always happy and enjoyed dressing up; Dunn expressed how much she’ll miss his infectious belly laugh. (Amanda Dunn)
Last year brought more challenges related to Bentley’s autism which limited their outdoor fun activities; however lately she felt “he was doing so well.”
“We had made plans to hopefully go to the movie theatre or go bowling again.. because he was coming along so well,” she remarked.
Dunn spoke about having strong support for Bentley through various therapists over time along with family members who helped care for him.
“Everyone was very accepting of Bentley and we just came together to give Bentley the best life that he could possibly have,” she noted.
Dunn expressed feeling shattered after losing Bentley. She emphasized how much she’ll miss hearing her son’s contagious belly laugh.
“It came from his soul. He was so pure and everything was so funny to him,” she explained.
“Every time I hear a video of his laugh, I miss it so much.”
Currently there are two Go Fund Me campaigns set up for Bentley’s family-one supporting Dunn while another is aimed at helping Bentley’s father. reached out regarding comments on the second Go Fund Me campaign organizer’s behalf.
