Boy taken off life support

BOISE -- A Mountain Home six-year-old has died, after choking on a piece of plastic from a Christmas gift last week.

The boy had spent a week on life support, before dying Monday morning.

His mother says Dustin is a fun loving kid, full of energy and life  -- a generous boy who gave his tooth fairy money to his older sister, simply because she asked for it.

"He doesn't know how to not like people, even people we would hate, he would love them," said Trinity McClure, Dustin’s mom said before his death.  

Less than a month ago, Dustin happily opened Christmas gifts with his family -- but little did they know, one gift would threaten to take his life.

"He was grabbing his throat, I want to remember him saying help, but I don't remember hearing, all I remember is him whispering through this gasps that he was chocking," said Trinity McClure.

At the time, Trinity didn't know what was wrong, and she didn't realize that her son had been chewing on the toy's small plastic suction cup.

"This little thing is smaller than a dime,” she said.

Trinity told her daughter to call police, but nine-year-old Hannah got scared.           

Trying everything to get Dustin to breath, and with her son clinging to life in her arm, from her cell phone, the young mother called 911. 

"I remember the paramedics coming in and the minute they saw him, they knew there wasn't going to be anything that they were going to do there and they just picked him up and they ran with him," said Trinity McClure.

Dustin was taken to Elmore County Medical Center, then airlifted to St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise.  But weather didn't cooperate, so the helicopter had to land before reaching the hospital and an ambulance took the boy the rest of the way.

"I tried to calm myself down, he has to be OK, there is no way that God could take something so perfect," said Trinity McClure.

Dustin likely suffered several strokes - and had severe brain damage.

Trinity's husband Jason is serving time at a state prison in Cottonwood.  He was released for 10 days to be with his family, but he has to return on Thursday.