Josiah Madrid’s smile could light up a room. You could hear him coming from a block away because he always had his music blaring while he sang along. He had a lot of friends. He’d recently joined The Bridge church and had become active in its youth group. And he had a “heart of gold” but didn’t want anyone to see.
Those were some of the ways mother Natasha Avery and brother Ty Avery described 17-year-old Josiah, who died Wednesday from a gunshot after an early morning incident on Marshall Avenue on Evansville’s south side.
Evansville Police Department said Friday the incident is an active investigation.
Meanwhile, Josiah’s family is trying to cope.
“There’s a big hole inside me that I can’t feel right now,” said Natasha in a phone interview with the Hendersonian Saturday morning.
In addition to Natasha and Ty, Josiah leaves behind four sisters, Brooklyn Adams, Genesis Avery, Isabella Hagan and Kaomi Hagan; and his father, Arturo Madrid.
Josiah did not just own an engaging personality, he also was a strong-willed person, according to Ty.
“Once he set his mind to do something, he saw it through,” Ty said.
An example of that, say both Ty and Natasha, is an earlier weight loss journey. Natasha said that Josiah once weighed 300 pounds. But he decided he was going to lose weight—and he did, incredibly dropping all the way down to 128 pounds, she said.
That’s probably one reason Natasha believed it when Josiah told her he was going to make it as a musician and get her out of her current apartment and into the “big house you deserve.”
She said he always worried about her and wanted her to have the best. Josiah didn’t like to see people struggle and didn’t like to see anyone cry, Natasha said.
The day before his death, Josiah came to Natasha and curled up beside her on the couch.
“I’ll never forget his arms around me and how much he told me he loved me all the time,” Natasha said.
Ty, 23, said Josiah’s death has caused people he had not heard from for years to reach out and offer condolences. His death has also pushed aside some family conflicts and is helping to heal those wounds, Ty said. But it’s still an unbelievable event.
“My baby brother was not supposed to go before me,” he said.
Josiah was also a jokester, said Ty and Natasha, and he always tried—and succeeded—in getting a reaction from people. Once he started joking, everyone in the room was laughing, they said.
Natasha said Josiah recently followed some friends to The Bridge Church in Henderson and was becoming an active part of the youth group there.
A Facebook post from the Bridge Church in Henderson said Josiah was “so full of life, and so deeply loved.”
The post also read in part:
“We are grateful for Josiah’s life, his presence, and the joy he brought to Bridge Youth. Though our hearts ache, we hold tight to the hope we have in Jesus and to the promise that He is near to the brokenhearted.
Please keep Josiah’s family in your prayers in the days ahead.”
Josiah’s death occurred very early on Wednesday morning. According to a release from the Evansville Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Marshall Avenue just after 5:30 a.m. regarding shots fired in the area.
Multiple 911 callers reported hearing shots in the area, and when officers arrived they found three people had been shot, said the release. EPD said the case remains an active investigation.
Natasha said Josiah was shot in the heart, and when paramedics arrived, he was not breathing.
“We’re hoping he didn’t suffer,” she said.
Henderson County Schools officials said that Josiah was a student at the Central Academy. HCS Superintendent Dr. Bob Lawson said employees and professionals from outside organizations will be at the school Monday.
“In addition to guidance counselors and mental health counselor at Central, we will bring additional counselors to Central on Monday to be there for students if needed,” he told the Hendersonian.
The family said that there has been an outpouring of support from friends of Josiah and friends of the family. The day Josiah died, people filled the apartment, there to offer support, Natasha said.
Funeral arrangements will be handled by Tomblinson’s Funeral Home, Natasha said. They plan to hold a celebration of life ceremony for friends and family and will release red, black and purple balloons—Josiah’s favorite colors—into the sky. They are also working on getting T-shirts made with a image of Josiah and text, “Justice for Josiah.”
In a Facebook post, she said she won’t rest until the people or person who did this to Josiah is found and dealt with. “You took away a huge piece of my heart and I cant have it back!” she wrote. “There will be justice for Josiah!!”
“Seeing his smile would light your day. He was a beautiful child,” Natasha said. “Our lives will never be the same.”
Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Josiah’s family with expenses. Find it here.
