As Rory Sykes’ mother, Shelley Sykes, tearfully mourns him, she is simultaneously receiving backlash for leaving him behind to die in the Palisades fires.  On Jan. 9, Shelley Sykes announced the death of her 32-year-old son, a former child actor in the British TV show “Kiddy Kapers.” “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken,” Shelley wrote via a lengthy post on X. “@Rorysykes was born blind with cerebral palsy & had difficulty walking. He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk. Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica.” After naming Rory’s many accomplishments in life, Shelley went on to explain how the fire claimed his life, and how she and his pet peacocks will miss him dearly. “@Rorysykes had his own cottage on our 17 acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate, decked out with all the latest apple gadgets, which burnt down yesterday 8 Jan 2024 Malibu Fires. I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water. Even the 50 brave fire fighters had no water all day! He will be incredibly missed by @shelleysykes, mama his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie & all his online fans around the world.” On Jan. 11, an interview Shelley had with Australian outlet 10 News First began to circulate throughout the internet. In the clip, Shelley went into further detail about her son’s horrific death and her heartbreaking decision to evacuate her home and leave him behind.  Shelley Sykes called out after leaving her 32-year-old son behind to die in fire. (Photo: X/ @shelleysykes) In the interview clip, Shelley started by explaining there was no way to contact emergency personnel.  “Guess what didn’t work? 911. All the phone lines were down.” The 62-year-old tearfully recalled Rory’s last few words to her after locking himself in his cottage. “He said, ‘Mom, leave me,’ and no mom can leave their kid. And I’ve got a broken arm. I couldn’t lift him. I couldn’t move him,” Shelley explained. Due to his cerebral palsy, Rory had difficulty walking on his own. Shelley tells Australian outlet Weekend Today that the heat from the fires made walking even more difficult. “Rory’s feet with the heat had started to swell, and he couldn’t walk very well. And he also had problems with his tummy. So he didn’t want to be far away from the bathroom,” Shelley said. She continued, “So I stayed in the main property with my two peacocks in a bathroom because it was hard to breathe. Sitting on the floor with bottled water and trying to keep wet.” Shelley said she attempted to turn on the water hose to put out the embers on the roof of her son’s cottage, but the water had been turned off. So, her next plan of action was to drive a quarter of a mile to the closest fire station. Upon arriving there, she learned that they did not have any water either.  When she returned home with the firemen, three cottages on their 17-acre Malibu property, including Rory’s, were gone.  “I said, ‘Oh my god, my son is locked in his room When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground. He was my baby, and he died needlessly.” According to Shelley, her main house was spared. “My house was fine, the big main house, but there were embers flying everywhere and it was hard to breathe.” She also shared the slight relief she had about the way that he died. “He died with carbon monoxide poisoning rather burning. I didn’t want any pain for my baby,” said Shelley. However, cadaver dogs have not yet located Rory’s remains. In an interview with BBC on Jan. 12, Shelley provided more details about her final moments with Rory. According to Shelley, she received an evacuation warning at around 3 or 4 a.m., which prompted her to check on her son. “I wrapped myself up, went up to the cottages and said to Rory, ‘Come on, You’ve got to either come to the house or let’s jump in the car and go down.’ And he just didn’t want to leave.” In the BBC clip, Shelley says she then raced to the firehouse up the road. “Within an hour, they came back and said, ‘We want you to come up.’ So I’m thinking, Oh, my God. They haven’t brought Rory back with them.” Shelley recalled. Despite the disheartening ending for Shelley’s son, fans were not so quick to show her sympathy. In fact, some were skeptical and angry at her for leaving Rory behind despite it being his alleged request. One person said, “She needs to be jailed idk.” Another person wrote, “So he had no wheelchair? This makes no sense.” A third person scrutinized Shelley based on her on-camera appearance for her interview. She said, “Her hair is done up and she is wearing make up to make this video. Something is off.”  “Everyone grieves in their own way. However, I am having a difficult time understanding and relating on any level to the choices this mother made. As a mother I cannot comprehend it,” tweeted a fourth person. Las Virgenes Municipal Water (LVMWD) also responded to the claims that the water was shut off during the time of Rory’s death. A spokesperson told NBC News that “water service did remain available and uninterrupted to her property and the entire surrounding community,” adding, “Our water system remained operational and we did provide water to the firefighters throughout the emergency and without interruption,” the spokesperson said. A skeptical X user wrote, “Guys, I am going to call it….she has a life insurance policy or some type of policy to collect on this kid. I am not buying her tears whatsoever. No mother has this makeup on and is able to speak talking points which it sure the heck sounds scripted to me.” As for what she’ll do next about her property, Shelly has plans. She said, “I’m going to make it even better because I’m going to rebuild, and we’re going to make it a special area for Rory. And hopefully, he will be able to rest there in peace.” According to CBS, the death toll for the Palisades fires now sits at 24, and more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed. ‘Something Is Off’: Fans Question Mother’s Actions After Disabled Former Child Star is Abandoned in Los Angeles Fire