A young boy who loved Manchester United and dreamed of one day being a football player was tragically found dead alongside his brother and mum at home. Alexander and Maximus De Jager, aged nine and seven, respectively, were found dead on March 9 in East London, alongside their mother, Nadja De Jager, 47, by police.
Investigators are said not to be searching for anyone else in connection with the tragic deaths, reports My London. The two young boys' heartbroken dad has since paid a fitting tribute to his children.
Herman De Jager, 36, hailed his boys, who were always "full of joy, happiness, and life". The youngest brother, Max, was said to have had dreams of playing football, while Alexander wanted to be an engineer.
He said: "They were always playing together and getting everyone involved in fun. They were just amazing kids. They were just the most amazing boys ever, they were model pupils, and so lovely and caring. It was such a privilege to have them.
"Alex had a really good sense of humour and he was always making jokes and getting everyone laughing, there was never a dull moment. He also loved Lego and was obsessed with cars.
"From a young age he was already determined he wanted to be an engineer and was going to build and design cars, so he found his calling in life really, really young. I started buying him Lego cars and even at seven and eight he was building adult size sets without any help, he was always very meticulous and took his time, such an intelligent boy.
"Max was very caring and loving, he always wanted to give everyone hugs and would tell me every single day how much he loved me. He was also very brave and very protective of Alex even though he was the younger brother.
"There were a couple of older boys one day that were picking on Alex, and Max walked right between them and told them ‘you two leave my brother alone or I’m gonna tell my father’, at the time I think he was only six.
"He dreamed of being a football player, his favourite team was Manchester United and he’d joined the local club. He was starting to play really well too. Alex didn’t like sport but Max was really into it so he’d always watch it on telly with me."
The boys' school, Belvedere Infant and Junior School, will also pay tribute, laying two boulders bearing their names as well as planting a pair of memorial trees. Herman is hoping to do something similar and has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs and support the family going forward.
He continued: "I would really love to do something in their name so they aren’t forgotten. It’s my long term ambition to set up a mental health foundation or a charity in their name."
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