2 days ago
A ‘free spirit': Mother remembers teen at center of metro-east investigation
Tiffany Zancha describes her 19-year-old son, Damien Zancha, as a 'free spirit' who was known for living up to the ideals of his namesake, St. Damien, the Catholic saint who ministered to outcasts and people with leprosy in Hawaii in the 1800s.
'He was a free spirit through and through,' Tiffany Zancha said about her son in a text Friday to the Belleville News-Democrat. 'If he wanted to do something — by God, he was going to do it, no matter what anyone said.'
A funeral service is set for Saturday for Damien Zancha, who is the focus of an ongoing death investigation in connection with what Highland police report as 'an incident that occurred at Silver Lake' last month.
Tiffany Zancha, who said her son died on May 22, said she wanted to 'hold off' on commenting on the police investigation at this time.
Highland Police Chief Carole Widman has declined to release details regarding Damien Zancha's death or comment on whether anyone has been arrested.
Rumors have been swirling on social media about the circumstances surrounding the teenager's death.
'Please be advised that we are aware of numerous social media posts regarding this incident,' the Highland Police Department said in a news release Thursday. 'This is an open and active investigation. Forensic analysis results in this case are still pending. No further details are being released at this time to preserve the integrity of the investigation.'
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Jeremiah Kingery at 618-654-2131, ext 3.
Silver Lake is part of Silver Lake Park, which is operated by the city of Highland. It's 2 1/2 miles northeast of downtown, off Illinois 143.
Funeral arrangements for Damien Zancha are being handled by Kutis Funeral Home.
Visitation will be at noon Saturday at the Kutis Affton Chapel at 10151 Gravois Road in Affton, Missouri. The funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday.
He graduated from Highland High School in 2024 and loved to fish, according to his obituary.
Tiffany Zancha said her son was named for St. Damien.
'From the start, Damien was always a funny, witty child that could light up any room,' she wrote.
'That child loved sports so much that his first word was 'ball.' He wanted to play any and every sport and so he did. From soccer, basketball and football to wrestling and track (and) field.'
She said her son wanted to be 'included and accepted for who he was and not the picture that the world had painted of him.
'He loved his friends and family with a ferocity that all of us hope we can find in this lifetime,' she wrote.
To sum up her memories of her son, Tiffany Zancha used an anglicized Gaelic phrase about someone's strong admiration for another:
'He was one of (a) kind. My macushla.'
Belleville News-Democrat reporter Bruce Darnell contributed information for this article.
