A Missouri family is grieving their 8-year-old just weeks before what would have been his ninth birthday. Cortez Williams Jr., lovingly known as CJ, passed away within hours of a children’s swing set collapsing on him. The death shocked his loved ones, mainly because CJ didn’t have much external injury when they first freed him from the playset. He would’ve turned nine years old in October 2025.
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More Details About The Swing Set Incident
The St. Louis County Police Department released a report on September 22 about what happened to CJ. It cited the date and time of the swing set accident as the day before, around 6 p.m. Officers from the city’s North County Precinct responded to a call for sick service. When they arrived at the home on the11300 block of Larimore Road, Cortez Williams Jr. was found unresponsive.
During their initial investigation, officers learned 8-year-old CJ was “playing on a backyard swing set when it collapsed,” per the press release. After the set collapsed, it trapped Williams Jr. under a crossbar. Family members ultimately freed the child, who reportedly “only appeared to have minor injuries. Later, CJ became unresponsive. After being transported to the hospital, doctors pronounced him dead.
His cause of death will be determined after an autopsy. However, the local Bureau of Crimes Against Persons is already investigating the death as accidental. Last week, CJ’s loved ones were reportedly arranging his homegoing service.
Father Of Cortez Williams Jr. Speaks Out
WUSA9 also caught up with Cortez Williams Sr., who gave an emotional interview about losing his son during what was supposed to be a chill Sunday afternoon. The father told the outlet he had dropped his 8-year-old off at his mother’s house that morning. Then, several hours later, he got the shocking FaceTime call from his daughter. On it, she was allegedly crying and saying CJ wasn’t responsive. At the time, Williams Sr. said the only thing going through his mind was returning to his son, given that he was out of town for work.
After other family members freed CJ, his dad said he didn’t show any apparent signs of injury, such as bleeding. He had “a little scratch on his stomach,” but that was about it. His behavior appeared normal, aside from expressing sleepiness.
“They said he was talking, responding, asking for water and something to eat,” Williams Sr. said. “The only thing he kept saying was that he wanted to go to sleep.”
While CJ napped, his mother made him something to eat, per Williams Sr. About an hour after that, things worsened, the dad said. When he woke up and walked around, he collapsed. Still, he had no external injuries and kept asking for water and something to eat. “…So they gave him some water, and she was finished cooking the food, and they said he was quiet for a while,” his father told WUSA9. “Next thing you know, they said he wasn’t responding anymore.”
Dad Shares Message About Kids & Minor Injuries
During his interview, Cortez Williams Sr. made it a point to share an important message with other parents. He warned them to take their children to the hospital for “any little thing” that happens.
“The risk of not taking them is…you see the pain I’m in, it’s a bad risk, I don’t want anyone to have to go through this. I’m trying my best, but it’s hard,” CJ’s dad said.
Sadly, Williams Sr. didn’t make it home in time to see his son alive again. “It’s pain that’ll never go away,” the father told WUSA9. “Because of his age… it’s just something that’ll never leave.” The dad remembers his 8-year-old as a joyful kid who loved scary movies and food. He was looking forward to starting soccer.
Like Williams Sr., the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has also issued warnings about home playground equipment, such as swing sets. The agency reports that about 50,000 kids go to the ER for related injuries every year. Most of the injuries are reportedly falls. However, in some cases, kids have died when equipment tips over or breaks, trapping a child(ren).
R.I.P. Cortez Williams Jr.
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