MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Lavonda Henderson would do anything to see her son’s smile one last time.
“I have terrible nightmares, I pick up the phone, I want to hear his voice,” she said.
Henderson’s nightmare started Jan. 10, when Memphis Police responded to a man-down call in South Memphis.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Larry Thorn’s body behind a boarded-up church on Gold Avenue. Police said his body had been set on fire and burned.
At that time, Henderson had no idea her son had been murdered, but her family did notice he was missing.
She tried calling her son’s phone several times but her calls went unanswered. Moments later, Thorn’s job called, looking for him.
Thorn was a beloved secretary and pom-pom coach at A. Maceo Walker Middle School. His absence was noticed immediately.
That’s when Henderson called police. Less than 10 minutes later, MPD called Henderson and asked her to come downtown to the Homicide Division.
The news hit her like a ton of bricks.
“I feel hurt, I feel disappointed, I feel without, I feel lonely, I feel like a part of me is missing,” she said.
Homicide detectives say it appears Thorn was also robbed during the crime.
Henderson says MPD found her son’s car two streets over from where his body was found. She says his phone and wallet were missing.
She has a message for her son’s killer: “I feel like you’re a coward because you’re running. You have run long enough. Let us have our peace.”
If you know who killed Larry thorn, call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.
