Maximus Knight (right) was found not breathing and without a pulse at his family’s farm in Venice, Utah (Pictures: GoFundMe)
A teenage boy was discovered with a tetherball rope wrapped around his neck after helping to clean his family farm’s corn maze and pumpkin patch.
Maximus Knight, 13, went missing on Saturday night at the farm in Venice, Utah, that includes the Knights Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch. He was found soon after with the rope around his neck, not breathing and without a pulse, said the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and then airlifted to another facility in Salt Lake City where he died later that night, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
His aunt Laurie Ann Thor called it a ‘tragic accident’.
Maximus Knight was the youngest of his family and ‘made every effort to impress his big brothers and care for those around him’, according to his aunt (Picture: Springer Turner)
‘Maximus was a beautiful, sweet and loving child who brought so much joy to his family and to his community,’ Thor wrote in a GoFundMe page she started for his medical and funeral expenses.
‘The youngest of his family, Maximus made every effort to impress his big brothers and care for those around him.’
Sheriff Nathan Curtis also called the death an accident and said there was no foul play or suspicious activity involving the incident
Maximus’ cause of death has not yet been released.
Maximus Knight was actively involved with his family’s corn maze and with his community (Picture: GoFundMe)
A friend of Maximus named Treyton said ‘he would always stick up for others if anyone was talking bad about us’.
‘He would always stand up for us,’ Treyton told ABC4. ‘He wasn’t scared to put people in their place.’
Venice is located roughly 160 miles south of Salt Lake City.
‘As labor of love, the Knight family brought joy and togetherness to many with their family corn maze. Maximus was actively involved with the family corn maze and with his community,’ Thor wrote.
‘Our hearts are broken as we struggle to make sense of this tragedy. We will forever mourn his passing.’
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $25,000 as of Thursday night.
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Maximus Knight, 13, went missing after helping to clean his family farm’s corn maze and pumpkin patch in Utah.