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Lindsay Dewey has revealed the devastating news that her 22-month-old son, Reed, passed away after a tragic accident involving an unsecured mirror in their home.
The parenting and homemaking influencer from Idaho shared the heartbreaking details of the February incident that led to the death of her youngest child on Instagram.
Dewey, a mother of three, explained that the accident occurred while Reed was playing with a suction cup bowl. He had been using it on a large mirror, sticking it on and pulling it back and forth. This repetitive motion eventually caused the mirror to fall on him.
“To make a long story short, Reed had one of his suction cup bowls, stuck it on the mirror, and was pulling it back and forth to pry it off (we think),” Dewey explained on Instagram. “I didn’t hear him playing near the mirror until I heard it fall, and within 5 seconds, I lifted it off him.”
At the time, Dewey was preparing dinner just 10 feet away and initially thought Reed was in another part of the house, playing with magnetic tiles.
She described the mirror as “heavy duty” and mentioned that it had previously been stabilized by a chair, which had been moved just before the incident while cleaning up after the family dog.
“When it first happened, I was so confused about HOW it could have occurred,” she wrote. “There’s no way our kids are strong enough to move it, let alone pull it down on themselves. We knew that, so the need to anchor it wasn’t urgent. It seemed impossible for it to just fall without reason, considering its placement and weight. But when I picked it up and leaned it back against the wall, I noticed his bowl was stuck to it… that’s when I realized exactly how it happened.”
She described the mirror as “heavy duty” and mentioned that it had previously been stabilized by a chair, which had been moved just before the incident while cleaning up after the family dog.
“When it first happened, I was so confused about HOW it could have occurred,” she wrote. “There’s no way our kids are strong enough to move it, let alone pull it down on themselves. We knew that, so the need to anchor it wasn’t urgent. It seemed impossible for it to just fall without reason, considering its placement and weight. But when I picked it up and leaned it back against the wall, I noticed his bowl was stuck to it… that’s when I realized exactly how it happened.”
Reed suffered a fractured skull and a severe traumatic brain injury. Although he was quickly rushed to the hospital and placed in a coma, with some initial signs of pupil response and breathing, swelling ultimately resulted in the loss of all brain function. Doctors later confirmed he was brain dead days after the incident.
“Never did we expect that it would be so serious that he wouldn’t survive it,” Dewey said.
In the aftermath of his death, Reed became an organ donor. Dewey wrote, “I’ve been telling myself, ‘If he doesn’t get his miracle, he will become one,’ and that’s the only thing that’s getting me through. Even though his life wasn’t saved, he is saving lives.”
“The worst day of our lives became the best day of someone else’s, and for that, I will forever be grateful for our little hero baby. You’re someone’s miracle, Reed Michael. 5 little kids’ miracle to be exact. I couldn’t stop thinking about the families who got the best call of their lives—their answered prayer,” she added.
Dewey explained that the mirror was never intended to be mounted or anchored, which led to a false sense of security. She also noted that her family typically kept a chair in front of the mirror for added stability, but it was moved for cleaning purposes shortly before the accident.
“There were so many details that led up to this being a perfect storm. All in all, it was just a tragic, unexpected accident that we can never take back,” she wrote.
While she was aware of the potential for backlash from strangers, Dewey chose to share her painful experience in hopes of helping other families. “We both are still in complete shock that this is what took our baby from us. We’re only sharing this because we don’t want this happening to anybody,” she said.
Describing herself as a “protective mom,” Dewey emphasized that she already had numerous safety measures in place, such as child locks on windows, doors, gates, and outlets, as well as furniture anchors. However, this one oversight led to devastating consequences.
“Mommy misses you so badly, and I’m so sorry this happened to you, my perfect baby boy,” she wrote.
In the wake of the tragedy, the clothing brand Little Hunters Wife launched a “Remembering Reed” collection, with all proceeds going to support Dewey and her husband Eric.
Amid her grief, Dewey rejected the idea of becoming a public figure, stating, “I’m just your average mama of three, homemaker, fire wife, who is obsessed with her family, living in Idaho. To paint the picture that I’m just another self-centered influencer is appalling.”
