‘Bravest little boy in America’: 8-year-old killed while trying to save his mom from violent attack

They remember him first and foremost by the brilliant warmth of his unforgettable smile. Leland “Lee” Arnett was precisely the kind of joyful, deeply affectionate child who routinely ran into family hugs at full, enthusiastic speed, and who possessed a natural, protective instinct that made the adults around him feel instantly safer just by being near him. His heartbroken family consistently describes him as a true protector—a young boy whose deepest, immediate impulse was always to shield those he loved, to offer comfort, and to bravely throw himself directly between others and impending harm. Tragically, that profound, entirely selfless instinct ultimately cost him his young life on May 13, when, according to local law enforcement authorities, he courageously stepped in to defend his mother during a sudden, violent assault unfolding inside their family home in De Soto, Illinois.