Mandi Stewart has spent the past two years grappling with the remitting grief of losing her only child.
Trenton Stewart — a Creekside High graduate and promising college football player — was killed in a 2023 wrong-way DUI crash in Jacksonville.
Compounding her pain, Mandi recently discovered that someone had been systematically destroying the roadside memorial placed at the site where her son died — a place she reveres as “the only spot where Trenton was still alive.”
Each year, on May 9 — the anniversary of Trenton’s passing — family and friends gather at the crash site on Old St. Augustine Road. For many, the tradition provides a measure of comfort and peace while reviving Trenton’s memory.
Visitors often left behind heartfelt items, including a large wooden art piece signed by Stetson University football teammates and a plaque with Trenton’s face and the words: “Quitting is not an option.”
But this past spring, Mandi returned to find the memorial in disarray. Key pieces had been destroyed — broken into shards that suggested the use of tools. A new plaque placed in July was also wrenched off a tree at the site.
“I still have the pieces,” Mandi told The Citizen, holding on to what was left.
She initially contacted city and state officials, fearing the items had been removed for code or safety reasons. But no agency claimed responsibility. That’s when she and her husband, Rob Stewart, hired a private investigator, who installed a hidden camera to monitor the site.
The footage revealed a man visiting the memorial eight times in ten days, often in the early morning or evening. He carried a garbage bag and was seen throwing away flowers, signs, and other items left in Trenton’s memory.
When ultimately confronted by the investigator, the man admitted he was simply “tired of looking at the trash.”
“It’s hard for me to understand,” Mandi said, emphasizing that she didn’t want to escalate the situation — only to understand the man’s motivation.
She has declined to disclose his identity and has insisted that media outlets blur his face in video clips. “I’m trying to approach this with grace,” she said.
The culprit has not returned to the site since being caught on camera.
“I’m not looking to negatively impact this person’s life,” Mandi said. “That’s not the mission. I just want Trenton’s name and his memory to be respected. That’s all.”
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