Heartbroken mother of twins, 4, who suffocated to death after falling asleep in their cedar toy chest in the night thanks strangers for raising $35,000 and says messages of support have ‘helped dull the pain’

The heartbroken mother of four-year-old twins who suffocated after falling asleep in their cedar toy chest in the middle of the night has said kind messages from strangers have helped ease “the pain of loss.”

In a post on Facebook, Sadie Myers said: ‘I want to thank EVERYONE for your kind words and for all the support and donations given… Reading all your kind messages certainly eases the pain.’

Myers’ twins – Aurora and Kellan – were put to bed by their father Don Starr on August 25, but decided to snuggle up in the box where their stuffed animals were kept.

They ran out of oxygen and suffocated and were eventually found dead, arms wrapped around each other, by their older brother who assumed they were still asleep in their home in Jacksonville, Florida.

More than $35,000 has been raised for the devastated family through a fundraiser page founded by Aurora and Kellan’s aunt, Myers’ sister, Deanna.

The twins settled into the box where their cuddly toys were kept on August 25. They ran out of oxygen, suffocated and were eventually found dead.

More than $35,000 has been raised for the devastated family through a fundraising page set up by Aurora and Kellan’s aunt Deanna

Deanna thanked those who supported the family on the GoFundMe page on Friday, writing: “I’m doing my best to thank you all individually and reply to all your lovely messages.”

The twins’ aunt also said she has been with the family every day since the tragedy and that the heartbroken parents have found so much comfort in reading the messages from strangers.

Myers has been posting photos of the twins since the tragedy. She also updated her profile photo to a photo of Aurora pushing Kellan while sitting in a stroller.

She also warned parents that the toy boxes become “airtight” and “soundproof” when closed, and urged others to “destroy the toy boxes immediately.”

The twins’ aunt has been with the family every day since the tragedy and the heartbroken parents have found so much comfort in reading the messages from strangers

The twins’ father, Don Starr, took them to bed on August 25, but the children decided to snuggle into the box where they kept their stuffed animals.

One of the older boys opened the coffin and found the twins, but didn’t know they were dead. He said, ‘Mommy! I found them! They’re so stupid just sleeping in the toy box.”

Myers and Starr also have two older boys, who opened the casket and found the twins the morning of August 25.

Myers opened up about the twins’ deaths on Facebook earlier this week.

She was at work the night of the incident, so her husband Don put their four children to bed.

But the twins woke up early on Saturday and decided to play with the wooden box together.

Their mother said they woke up at odd hours and slept in different places in the morning, with toys scattered around their shared room.

“Friday night they decided to snuggle up and go back to sleep in their cedar toy chest that we use to store all their stuffed animals,” she wrote.

The twins took out most of the stuffed animals and kept a few for extra protection, but fell asleep with their arms draped over each other.

The mother woke up Saturday morning and panicked when she saw that the twins were not in the bed and were not immediately visible.

The family ran around trying to find the twins before one of their older brothers opened the coffin and saw them. He didn’t know they were dead.

He said, ‘Mommy! I found them! They’re so stupid just sleeping in the toy box.”

But Myers immediately realized they were dead. “I went to take a look and within seconds I knew something was wrong, but I also quickly realized it was too late,” she said.

She assumes they said goodnight to each other before falling asleep. “Good night, Kell Kell,” Aurora said to her twin. As Kellan replied, “Nightnight, sis.”

Myers said the older boys were staying with relatives

The mother warned parents that the toy boxes become ‘airtight’ and ‘soundproof’ when closed, and urged others to ‘destroy the toy boxes immediately’

The older boys are staying with relatives while the parents cope with the loss of the twins.

“They have been with family for the past week because we don’t want to emotionally damage them if they see us like this, and they need to stay away from any triggers that could cause them to be in the same condition,” Myers wrote.

Nonprofit organization Kids in Danger has revealed that at least 34 children have been killed in toy box incidents since 2014, according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Since 2005, more than 21,500 toy chests have been recalled due to hazards such as strangulation, entrapment, injuries and lead poisoning.