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The family of Airen Andula says a guilty plea in connection with his death brings a small sense of justice but does little to ease the pain of losing him.
Damon Leonard pleaded guilty last Friday in connection with Airen's death.
Leonard faces charges of abandonment of a corpse after the boy died from multiple dog bite injuries in December in Pleasanton, Kansas.
Abandonment of a corpse in Missouri is a Class E felony, which carries a maximum sentence of four years.
Airen's parents, Charles Andula and Anita Gunn, said the charge and potential sentence fall short of what they believe Leonard deserves.
"It isn't enough, but maybe more is still to come," Gunn said.
"I wish it was more time," Charles Andula said. "I mean, even if he was to get life, it wouldn't be life like we're serving: We're missing our kid every day of our lives."
Still, the family said the guilty plea was the right outcome.
"I feel like that was the right thing to do," Gunn said.
"Which he should have done all along," Charles Andula said.
The family said many questions about what happened that day remain unanswered, including why Leonard did not call 911 when he saw Airen.
"It's hard. You just live with unanswered questions," Gunn said.
For Charles, concealment is something he said he cannot forgive.
"No, not for the hiding of him. I can never forgive him for that. Now the dogs, I could have probably overlooked that eventually. Freak accident. But when the whole community was out here looking, and you're going to just sit there like you didn't know where he was at, I'll never be able to forget that," Charles Andula said.
The family said the grief is constant and all-consuming.
"It's just a constant reminder. When you wake up, oh yeah, he's not here," Gunn said. "Things just aren't as enjoyable as they used to be."
"I don't think it ever will really get better," Charles Andula said.
When asked what they miss most about Airen, his parents did not hesitate.
"Everything," Gunn said.
"His smile, his sweetness," Charles Andula said. "There wasn't anything bad about that kid."
Gunn said she has become more protective of her two daughters since Airen's death.
"We tell them it's because of your brother. We're checking on you more closely because we don't want the same thing to happen again," Gunn said.
Pleasanton Schools Superintendent Don Epps said the loss has been felt across the entire community.
"It left a huge hole. But at the same time, we're going to try to live on through his legacy," Epps said.
Epps said the community has leaned on one another to get through the tragedy.
"When you have a tragedy like this, you just have to come together, and you just got to just get through it day by day," Epps said.
The family said they are still waiting for more charges to be filed and are not yet mentally prepared for Friday's sentencing hearing.
"We're waiting for the more charges to come because it definitely wasn't enough charges," Gunn said.
Leonard's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. in Bates County Circuit Court.
We reached out to his attorney for comment, but didn't hear back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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