Haddon Township will come together Saturday morning for a yoga session, prayer gathering and walk to a memorial for Brendan Creato.
HADDON TWP. -- Four days after the tragic death of a 3-year-old found near the Cooper River, a yoga session and prayer walk will offer township residents an opportunity to come together.
The event scheduled for Saturday morning will begin with a 40-minute yoga session and end after a 468-step walk to the memorial along South Park Drive for Brendan Creato, whose death remains under investigation.
"This is a time for people to grieve," said Anita Brown, a yoga teacher who lives near the scene of Tuesday's discovery.
The yoga session will be held at the park near the corner of South Park Drive and West Avenue at 8:30 a.m. Brown said she starts her day by practicing yoga at that park and asked in prayer on Wednesday what she should to do to help Haddon Township.
"The answer was to bring people together," Brown said. "I just try to stick with what I can do to help."
Guests of all skill levels and ages are invited to take part. Those who plan to attend are asked to bring a yoga mat or towel, as well.
Afterward, participants will walk to the memorial for Brendan at the bend along South Park Drive. Guests may also bring anything they would like to place at the memorial for the toddler, which has grown to encompass two trees and now has a mulched flower bed at the base.
Donations are also being accepted at the event. They will be put toward the Gofundme effort to help the family of Samantha Denoto, the child's mother, "with any and all costs associated with Brendan's untimely passing."
As of Friday, the 365 donators had contributed just shy of $16,000 in two days. The organizer of the effort did not respond to an email seeking comment.
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A separate online fundraiser to help the family of DJ Creato, the boy's father, with funeral expenses had raised $460 over the past three days.
"We must pull together and support this devastated family during these dark times," effort organizer Tina Becker wrote. "Any amount is greatly appreciated and will go towards eliminating any financial burden this horrible event has brought to such beautiful people."
Donato and Creato, both graduates of Haddon Township High School's Class of 2011, do not live together, but shared custody of their son. A message left with Becker seeking comment about the fundraiser was not immediately returned.
DJ Creato called 9-1-1 shortly after 6 a.m. on Tuesday to report that his son, who had stayed the night at his Haddon Township apartment, had gone missing.
"I don't know if he wandered out or what happened. I don't know where he is. The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left," Creato said during his conversation with a dispatcher, adding that the boy was dressed in red pajamas.
Brendan's body was found about a half-mile away by police K-9s approximately three hours later. An autopsy failed to determine the cause and manner of death and investigators are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
No additional updates on the investigation have been made public since a noon press conference on Tuesday. Attempts to reach township police were also unsuccessful.
The Denoto family issued a statement late Tuesday that asked for privacy and said they do not know what happened to the toddler. According to news reports, DJ Creato's grandfather said the boy's death was a devastating loss.
No charges have been filed in the case.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.