ST. LOUIS — The family of a boy who was abducted in 2003 held a memorial service for him Saturday - nearly 20 years after he was last seen.
Christian Ferguson was born in 1993 with a rare genetic disorder, called Citrullinemia, and needed life-sustaining medications and a low-protein diet to survive. He functioned as a typical child until Jan. 16, 2001.
He was removed from his mother's care in 1998 and was placed with his father, Dawan Ferguson. Under his father's care, Christian's family said he was physically abused.
Christian was reported missing in 2013 and never seen again. Dawan told police he was carjacked while his son was asleep in the backseat.
In July 2022, Dawan was convicted of murder for the disappearance of Christian. His son's whereabouts remained unknown.
On Saturday, family and friends led a motorcade through St. Louis and held a service at Sts. Teresa and Bridget Catholic Church.
Christian's mother, Theda Person, said the memorial was long overdue.
"I knew that justice would come," Person said. "I thought it would be sooner. God already told me the truth would be revealed."
Person thanked all of the people who have been fighting this battle alongside her for decades.
"It's important to use the powers that we have, like voting," she said. "When we have people in positions that don't do what's best for the people, we all suffer."
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