By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
You may have noticed a change in the lights outside City Hall and the Moody County Courthouse and Veterans Memorial along Pipestone Avenue this month. But the blue and yellow colors many in the area are familiar with aren’t celebrating any local sports teams.
Not this time.
Instead, they are shining in memory of a little girl lost far too soon — and to raise awareness of a rare and still unexplained cause of death in young children.
Catherine Wallert was just two years old when she died on July 26, 2025.
Her mother, Erika Lee, told city councilors this past week that the day began like any other. Catherine woke up, ate breakfast, played and had lunch before being laid down for a nap around 5:30 p.m. When her father, Tyler Wallert, went to wake her later, he found her unresponsive.
Emergency crews attempted to revive her, but Catherine was tragically lost.
Her death falls into a category known as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, or SUDC — a term used when a child between 12 months and 18 years old dies suddenly and no cause can be determined, even after an investigation. National estimates suggest about 500 such deaths occur each year in the United States, most often involving children ages 1 to 4.
Following Catherine’s death, Lee decided she needed to do something with her grief, and to honor her little girl.
By September, she had established a nonprofit called Catherine’s Toybox, which provides comfort backpacks for children facing illness or traumatic situations. The backpacks, donated monthly to Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls and to local law enforcement, include toys, books and Catherine’s favorite story, ABC’s by Dr. Seuss.
Lee has also partnered with the national SUDC Foundation as an ambassador, helping raise awareness and funding for research into the little-understood condition.
This past week, the Flandreau City Council proclaimed March 2026 as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Awareness Month and the Wallert family was presented with a proclamation. City and county leaders also agreed to light up local landmarks in blue and yellow throughout the month.
Across South Dakota, for the first time ever this month, March 15 will also be recognized as SUDC Awareness Day.
“I just never want her memory to die…I’m only 33 so I still hopefully have a long life left and I plan in that time to make sure everyone knows about our daughter,” said Lee.
For more on SUDC or how you might get involved with Catherine’s Toybox call Lee at (507) 829-7846 or mail any donations to PO Box 108, Flandreau, SD 57028.
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