THE family of Conley Thompson have asked the community to stop "casting aspersions" that he went to Locke Park without an adult.
Conley's body was found by police on a construction site on Bank End Road in Worsbrough at 8.30am on Monday, July 27.
Police believe Conley entered a vertical pipe which pushed his clothing up around his body restricting his breathing.
In a statement Conley’s family said: “It is with great sadness and a broken heart that we find ourselves writing this. Words cannot describe the devastation we feel, especially for his mum.
“Firstly, the family would be grateful if any members of the community that are casting aspersions relating to Conley ever attending at Locke Park without an adult, either on the day he went missing or before that day, be kept to themselves.
“We want to make it very clear that we would never have allowed Conley to go to Locke park without an adult at any time, and the police are tracing his exact movements that night so we will be able to understand what happened and what led to us losing our playful and loving boy.
“For any parent, the loss of a child is unimaginable and while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, we would please ask people to bear in mind this is now an actual reality for us, and please be respectful as his mum, and all of the family, try to come terms to a life without Conley.
“To describe Conley you would have to say he was cheeky, mischievous and loud, but also loving and caring, with a heart of gold.
“As with most boys his age, Conley lived life large and loud, with a zest for adventure and curiosity.
“His mum and the rest of the family would like to give a special and heart felt thank you to all the officers, both from the police and the fire service, who helped searched for Conley, as well as all the friends, neighbours and members of the community.
“You should be proud of your efforts and your conduct throughout and we cannot thank you enough for your help in trying to find him. We would also like to thank Lyndsey and Steve, the police family liaison officers, who have helped us through this difficult time.
“To our local community and the people of Barnsley, as well as to those across the UK, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support shown and we also want to say a very special thank you to everyone who has offered words of comfort and their condolences, it really does means so much to us all.
“Thank you.”
A number of people are expected to attend Conley's funeral which will take place on Tuesday, August 11, to pay their respects.
Police are continuing to appeal for the public's help to piece together Conley's last movements after 6pm on Sunday, July 26.
If you have any information, please call police on 101, quoting incident number 1148 of Sunday, 26 July, 2015.
