The parents of a young Gore man who died unexpectedly in his sleep last week say they take comfort in knowing he passed peacefully.
Jonas Lindsay, 22, had a normal evening on Wednesday before going to bed and never waking up, and preliminary post-mortem results are yet to shed any light on why he suddenly died.
Jonas, who was living with his parents, came home after work and headed to bed as usual. As far as his parents know, he was on his phone sending messages and Snapchats, possibly as late as 1.30am.
“He didn’t get up for work in the morning, which is very unlike him, so Megan went in to check on him and he had passed away,” said dad Richard Lindsay.
The couple said it was a “pretty horrific” discovery, but mum Megan Lindsay said her son looked “at peace”.
“It was like he had just fallen asleep,” she said. “We take great comfort in that fact.”
The initial post-mortem results say Jonas’ cause of death is “yet to be determined”, but his parents believe it may have been some type of medical event or something that had gone undiagnosed.
They may not know for weeks, months, or even a year what caused Jonas to die in his sleep.
Megan said her last night with Jonas was “really pleasant” and “things felt content and settled”.
“He fell asleep and he just didn’t wake up, so something’s happened peacefully in the night.
“Of all the worst, worst, worst things that can happen, the best thing was that he was living at home and things were going well and we found him, it wasn’t anyone else.”
Jonas’ parents haven’t had time to really sit with their feelings over his death, and have been “overwhelmed” with the support flooding in. Their plans for the funeral have had to change upon realising hundreds of people wanted to attend, including friends travelling in from overseas.
The couple have a strong Christian faith, which was helping them through, Megan said.
“We really trust that we are being looked after . . . yes, we’ve got a lot of questions, but we actually are at peace and we’re trusting that we have a God that is bigger than us and can look after us.”
Since his death, Jonas’ parents have been “inundated” by messages from people that knew and loved him, as well as endless offers of support.
“I’m just learning how impactful he’s been in other people’s lives, we’re just so proud of him,” Megan said.
“Some people are really, really generous with their praise of him.”
Jonas’ “vibrancy” and energy as well as his ability to “give anything a go and talk to anyone” were some of his best qualities, she said.
Richard said Jonas’ willingness to drop whatever he was doing to help someone else was another trait that made him so loved.
“He was our loveable rogue,” Richard said.
Megan noted he had “an answer for everything”, which Richard corrected to “an excuse for everything”.
“He had the gift of the gab.”
Jonas was passionate about “anything that involved moving”, Megan said. He got into mountain biking at an early age and later discovered the car community.
“He got into anything that involved speed or adrenaline, but also he absolutely loved being part of it with other people,” she said.
“He could talk to anybody. He just had a way of being able to connect to their level instantly . . . he was just a joyful kid when he was around.”
Jonas’ “grin when he had done something he was proud of” was something his parents looked back fondly on.
“He just made memories wherever he went . . . I think he will leave a massive hole in a lot of people’s lives that we didn’t realise. He’s a pretty special kid,” Megan said.
Richard said they were “just pretty proud of our boy”.
BadTempah Racing posted on Facebook saying their world had been “shattered” by the news of Jonas’ death.
“We were only chatting a couple of days ago about this weekend, making plans and doing stupid shit,” the post said.
“Your infectious smile and cheeky nature will not be forgotten mate.”
Southern Dragways also posted a tribute, saying things would not be the same at the track.
“These last few weeks, getting phone calls at all hours to see what else you needed to do before being able to bring your freshly built car back to the track and beat your PB, I’m gutted you never got that chance,” the post said.
“Our thoughts, prayers & condolences go to your parents and family as they navigate your journey that was cut so, so short.
“Thank you for the memories, keep the wheels turning and the engine running for us, race in paradise our friend.”
The funeral will be held on Thursday afternoon and the location will be confirmed once his parents find a big enough venue. Details will be posted on Jonas’ Facebook page. The service will also be livestreamed.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.