A high school basketball jersey that belonged to a North Bay teen who died in a crash last year has been stolen.
A Branson School friend and teammate of the late Kwentyn Wiggins has been wearing the No. 11 jersey all season long to honor Wiggins.
"I wore it in our first home game, and it was just really special to have that feeling that he was with us," Branson senior Peyton Mullarkey said.
Wiggins, 17, was an accomplished athlete who played basketball and football. He died in a car crash last June. Wiggins and Mullarkey were close friends. Mullarkey played a game in the jersey last week, then went to eat in Oakland.
"We came back to the car, and there was glass shattered, and then it kind of hit me that my backpack was in there, and then I went in there and it was gone," Mullarkey said. "My heart just dropped."
The school in Ross plans to retire Wiggins' number and has ordered a replacement jersey.
"Kwentyn was always for other people and always made others feel special," Mullarkey said.
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There's a scholarship being established in Wiggins' name, and the team printed up T-shirts with the words "All For You" on the front and Wiggins' No. 11 on the back. They would like to get the jersey back.
"His dad and I and Peyton felt like he just needed to be on the court for his senior year," Wiggins' mother La Tanya Wiggins said. "So we asked Peyton if he could wear the jersey."
Wiggins' mom described her son as smart, funny and caring, with an incredibly bright future. She put the word out on social media, hoping it would help.
"We want the jersey back, and I know it means a lot to us and it means a lot to him," La Tanya Wiggins said. "Whoever took it has no idea what they are possessing."
Family and friends said they don't want any trouble for anybody; they just want the jersey back, no questions asked.
