Lesly Zelaya Blanco’s son was her world.
Jorge Zelaya, 24, was found dead in Brentwood Park in Northeast Raleigh just before 7 a.m. by a man walking his dog.
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“It's an immense pain,” Zalaya Blanco told WRAL News through a translator. “Something only a mother who loses a child would know.”
“I wish that everything was a lie, that it was a dream, that I'm going to wake up and my son will be back with me,” she said.
The 911 caller reported that Zelaya looked homeless and had an aerosol can with him.
"There’s a guy laying in the parking lot (and) looks like he overdosed (or) looks like a homeless person," the man who found Zelaya told 911 dispatchers. "He’s got like a spray can in the bag. Looks like he was huffing."
It was not clear how long Zelaya's body had been in the parking lot of the Brentwood Park Community Center before he was found.
According to police records, Zelaya was arrested twice last year for inhaling toxic vapors, or huffing.
Neighbors said he sometimes stayed in the woods.
Authorities have not said how he died.
People in the neighborhood said the area is quiet during the day but can feel dangerous at night.
“All we hear is gunshots,” said Mildreth Gomez-Alejo.
Many residents said they’re scared and want to remain anonymous, but they also want the case solved.
“We just want answers, what happened to him, and justice,” one neighbor said.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to call 911 or Raleigh CrimeStoppers at 919-834-HELP.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses. To access it: Click here