DENVER (KDVR) The mother of a 1-and-a-half-year-old boy who died after he managed to get away from his mother while her back was turned is now speaking out about the challenges parents face.

Serenity Maes told KDVR’s Talya Cunningham last week that her baby, Zeldris, was a happy boy who loved to jam out to music no matter the location. She described him as a loving baby and called him her pride and joy.

Maes, a stay-at-home mom, told affiliate KDVR that Zeldris died from drowning on July 22 in Silverthorne. She told Cunningham that Zeldris’ father was on a job in Silverthorne, and the couple’s motel didn’t allow check-in until 3 p.m.

Maes took Zeldris and her 3-year-old son, who has autism, to the Willow Grove Open Space in Silverthorne to get some fresh air. When her three-year-old darted toward a nearby creek, she took off after him, and in those moments, Zeldris went missing.

“I want other parents to know that anything can happen in the blink of an eye as it did to me and my family as it did to my precious baby,” Maes told Cunningham. “My world has drastically changed because I took my eyes off of one child to go after my other child who was running off to danger, not realizing that my baby I left for a split second would do the same and that would change our lives forever.”

The missing toddler spurred a large emergency response, and his body was found after a search of the Blue River and the surrounding area after a few hours. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“You don’t realize the challenges that a parent faces, especially parents with children that have disabilities,” the mourning mother said. “Danger lurks all around us and it is very hard trying to protect these little innocent people from everything. But when accidents like this happens, it can make us as parents more aware of the dangers that lie ahead of us and teach us, prepare us for what may or may not happen.”

Maes told Cunningham on July 23 that she heard “two little cries” from Zeldris, but didn’t find him after turning around.

“I am devastated,” the mother said. “I am lost and I’ll never be the same but I know now that anything can happen and it happened to me and it sucks that this is my reality that’s going to stick with me forever.”

The family has established a fundraiser to help with medical and funeral expenses, available here.