The story of Daniel Morcombe and his family is one that has touched the hearts of people all across Australia for over a decade.
While almost 15 years have passed since the Sunshine Coast teenager was abducted and murdered, Daniel isn’t far from Denise and Bruce Morcombe’s minds. Although the case has been closed and Daniel’s murderer is behind bars, there’s no doubt it would still be difficult for the family – especially on special occasions.
In fact, it was quite the special occasion for the Morcombe family this weekend. Denise and Bruce’s eldest son Dean got married to his partner Alice at Queensland’s iconic Mount Mee. Denise used the occasion to reflect on her children – including the late Daniel.
Sharing a photo of Dean, Daniel and his twin brother as small children on Twitter, the proud mother shared a sweet yet heartbreaking caption.
“My boys are now grown up or gone,” she wrote. “Enjoy time with them.”
In the photograph, a young Daniel can be seen playing in the snow with his siblings. Still, the day was a happy occasion for the Morcombe family and Denise also shared some special snaps from her son’s big day.
“Today our eldest son Dean married Alice Webb at a private ceremony in Mt Mee,” she wrote in another tweet. “They are a match made in heaven!”
In another, she shared a snap of herself with loving husband Bruce, admitting they were “proud parents” on their son’s big day.
A further photo showed the happy couple cutting their wedding cake.
https://twitter.com/DeniseMorcombe/status/1043416681882603520
Last December marked 14 years since Daniel was snatched from a bus stop on the Sunshine Coast. It was the first date where Daniel had been deceased for longer than he was alive – given he passed away at the age of 13.
Taking to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation Twitter page at the time, the loving parents let their followers know they haven’t forgotten about Daniel after all these years.
“14 years ago today we lost our Daniel,” they wrote. “This is longer than we shared with him, his life cut short at just 13 years and 353 days.”
They encouraged people to never let his memory die.
“Please join us and hug his memory because he deserved better and had much to offer,” the message continued. “Peace be with you Daniel.”
Peter Brett Cowan was found guilty of abducting and murdering Daniel. He’s now serving a life sentence for his crimes.