WINDHAM, Maine — Members of the United Bikers of Maine in Cumberland County met in Windham Saturday to ride in honor of 3-year-old Maddox Williams.
"There's a story there that should never be forgotten, and we wanted to make sure that people remembered that Maddox should be here with us now," UBM President Bill Brown said.
This month marks the third anniversary of Maddox's murder when he was killed by his mother Jessica Trefethen in 2021. Trefethen is now serving a 47-year prison sentence for depraved indifference murder.
Starting at Erik's Church restaurant, attendees shared stories and prayers before heading out on the ride.
"He was such a sweet, caring, and helpful little boy," Maddox's paternal grandmother Victoria Vose said. "He had just a great sense of humor."
Riders and supporters donated the money that was raised from Saturday's event and UBM events from the past year to Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, a nonprofit that aims to prevent child abuse in Maine.
"We've had so many kids die, and every name you see on the front of this t-shirt is just a sample of children who never should have died, never should have been placed in the environment they were placed in," Former Sen. and Walk a Mile in Their Shoes Founder Bill Diamond said in a speech.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services for a comment on Maddox William's death and was sent this statement:
"Every death of a child is a tragic loss. We remain committed to engaging with partners to strengthen Maine families and promote health and safety for all Maine children.
The Department continues to make progress on its key child welfare priorities and implementation of the numerous laws and initiatives advanced by the 131st Legislature. This includes reducing vacancies among child welfare staff by over 40 percent and investing nearly $9 million in the supplemental budget to increase pay for child welfare staff and add targeted positions such as legal aides and trainers, who will help caseworkers focus their valuable time on children and families, among other initiatives.
The Department has additionally joined the National Partnership for Child Safety, a quality improvement collaborative with a mission to improve child safety and prevent child maltreatment fatalities, reorganized the Office of Child and Family Services to focus more fully on child welfare by moving children’s behavioral health services to the Office of Behavioral Health within DHHS; and begun implementing the Child Safety and Family Well-Being Plan in partnership with the Maine Child Welfare Action Network to help prevent the need for child welfare intervention by strengthening Maine families. More information about these and other child welfare initiatives is available in this blog post.
We look forward to our continued collaboration with partners to continue improving Maine's child welfare system."