A 16-year-old Western Australian boy is facing life alone after the death of his dad, mum and four siblings. 

Riley Bolton, described as a ‘very shy teen’ by his family, has suffered more grief than most experience in a lifetime.

His father died last month. This followed his mother’s death from leukaemia, his two brothers committing suicide, his sister passing away in a car crash, and his infant brother’s cot death.  

Riley’s relatives, from the Goreng-Noongar community in Gnowangerup, a sheep grazing town 370km south-east of Perth, have started a GoFundMe to help the teen.

After the death of Riley’s father, his family gave Daily Mail Australia permission to tell the teen’s story, and publish photographs of him and his family members.

Riley’s cousin, Justyne Eades, said his situation was ‘immensely difficult’ for someone so young. 

‘Not only has Riley effectively been orphaned by the passing of both of his parents, but he has also lost all four of his siblings,’ Justyne said.

‘His parents lost their first child, Adam, to SIDS at five weeks old, his six-year-old sister tragically passed away in a car accident in 2009 and both his older brothers died by suicide in 2013 and 2018. 

Riley (above with his grandmother Florence) has been orphaned after the death of his father last month, which follows that of his mother, three brothers and his sister

Riley Bolton’s father, Duane Bradley Mourish Snr (above) died, leaving the 16-year-old teen without any immediate family members

‘It is impossible to describe the immense heartache Riley has endured in his young life so far.

‘Riley is a young man of very few words, but he has many of his late mum and sister’s characteristics. He is a beautiful soul with a bright smile just like his mum’s, when you are lucky enough to catch one.’

Under the title, ‘Please support Riley in his hour of need’, Justyne Eades has written:  ‘With the permission of Riley, we have been asked to create this GoFundMe to raise much needed funds to help him contribute towards the burial costs of his late father.

‘As his older cousin, I am hopeful that our wider family and community would be willing to assist Riley, by making a donation, to contribute to the funeral of his beloved dad.’ 

The family’s run of bad luck began back in August 1989 when baby Adam Lee Bolton died and was buried in Gnowangerup cemetery.

Riley’s mother Trina (top left) died in 2017, followed five weeks later by her son Duane Jr (top right). Regan (bottom left) took his own life aged 19 in 2013, and six-year-old sister Janaya (bottom right) died in a car accident in 2009

Riley (above, right) has endured tragedy in his family from a very young age

A grave at Gnowangerup cemetery for three members of the family: Adam, who died from SIDS in 1989, Janaya who died in a car accident exactly 20 years later, and Regan, who took his life in 2013

According to Riley’s auntie, Carleen Eades, Adam’s parents Trina and Duane Mourish Snr went on to have more sons, Duane Jnr, and Regan, a girl, Janaya, and Riley.

Tragedy struck again on the 20th anniversary of Adam’s death from SIDS.   

In 2009 their father, Duane Bradley Mourish Snr, was driving back to Gnowangerup from Albany when his car was involved in an accident in the Stirling Ranges, and Janaya died.

Riley’s grandmother, Florence, later revealed to the ABC that following their sister’s death, the older brothers ‘didn’t get enough counselling’ for their grief and in 2013, Regan took his own life.

Regan had been under ‘stress regarding an upcoming court case’ and Carleen Eades said that years after Janaya’s death, he ‘felt responsible and couldn’t live with himself’. 

The day after driving back from Albany court, Regan took his own life.

‘He was just 19,’ Carleen said, ‘then Trina got leukaemia in 2015… and she passed away in 2017 at the age of 46.’

Riley is now a shy teenager of ‘very few words’ but has had a love of motorbikes from a very young age, according to his cousin

Riley (above) ‘has many of his late mum and sister’s characteristics. A beautiful soul with a bright smile just like his mum’s, when you are lucky enough to catch one’

Family friend, local councillor and Indigenous mental health campaigner Robbie Miniter OAM, said that on the same day Riley’s mother was laid to rest in December 2017, the boy’s grandfather, James, died from a heart attack.

‘It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen in my life,’ Mr Miniter said of the string of  deaths in the Bolton-Mourish family.

Five weeks after Trina’s death, Carleen said that Riley’s older brother Duane Jr took his life at the age of 27 because ‘he couldn’t live without his mum, they were very close’.

Riley went to live with Florence after Trina’s death, with Carleen saying his father Duane Snr ‘became homeless, and then I think he got lung cancer’.

Robbie Miniter told Daily Mail Australia that Duane Mourish Snr most likely died ‘from a broken heart’.

‘I don’t think he ever got over the death of his daughter, and they’ve lost a fair bit of family,’ Mr Miniter said.

The graves of Riley’s mother Trina (left) and of his brother Duane Jr, who died within five weeks of one another, in the grounds of Gnowangerup cemetery, in southern Western Australia 

Duane Bradley Bolton-Mourish took his own life five weeks after the death of his mother, his auntie saying that ‘family member after family member was lost’ to tragedy or trauma

Mr Miniter said that despite starting his own mentoring business with his own funds, there was still a large gap in mental health services in Gnowangerup with needs he could not afford to meet.

‘I’ve spent 20 years in local government and within sports development working with communities and trying to break the cycle of alcohol and drug use, and I’m trying to pull together a forum,’ he said. 

Carleen Eades said that the trauma of loss in Riley’s family, and lack of services in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia had likely contributed to his older brothers’ deaths.

‘Each time his family lost someone, there was this growing anger and blame that tore them apart and they couldn’t cope with it,’ she said.

‘The older they got, it just seemed that family member after family member was lost.

‘We have four boys in our immediate family who have committed suicide, my son included.

Riley Bolton, pictured a few years ago with his father Duane Sr, who recently died leaving the teenager without any immediate family

‘Men believe they have to be strong and that they should feel shame if they have to go to counselling, and because they’re adult you can’t insist.

‘They say “I’m okay” and we miss the signs. With my son, all he said was “I’m tired mum”. 

‘The trauma spirals down into generations and we feel with Riley, he is suffering from trauma.’

Justyne said Riley ‘adores his nanna’ Florence, ‘and has an absolute love of motorbikes which has been present from a very young age’. 

If this has raised any issues for you, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636