Kansas teen gathers toys for Linn County siblings after 13-year-old’s tragic death
A Kansas teen who lent a hand to grieving families after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is now asking people in the Kansas City metro to pitch in toys and supplies for the family of Airen Andula, the Linn County 13-year-old who died tragically after being reported missing just days before Christmas.
Sammie Magee, a teen from Louisburg, runs an organization called Sammie’s Toy Drive. The group collects toys and other needed donations for families who are affected by tragedies involving children and teens.
“News patterns do not match with the stages of grief,” according to her website. “Our mission is to spread love and support to those who have been through tragedy by providing them with toys and games that can help them feel loved and supported.
Now, Magee is working with the Andula family to collect toys for Airen’s two youngest sisters, as well as clothing, hygiene supplies, household items and monetary donations for the rest of the family. The family has created an Amazon wishlist detailing what they need during this time. That, and details on how else to donate, are listed on Magee’s website.
A separate GoFundMe drive to help support the family is also circulating online.
Andula, 13, died from multiple dog bite injuries, the Kansas City Kansas Police Department reported. Officials charged Damon Leanord of Pleasanton, Kansas, with interference with law enforcement, having a vicious dog at large and criminal desecration of a body in Linn County and abandonment of a corpse charges in Bates County, Missouri, after finding the child’s body at the bottom of a creek bed.
Andula, who went missing Dec. 21, is remembered by his loved ones as gentle, kind and loved. He’s survived by his parents and eight siblings, according to his obituary. He collected Hot Wheels and Legos.
Magee first began hosting the annual toy drive in the aftermath of the 2022 school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 fourth graders and two teachers and affected numerous families in the small southwest Texas town of roughly 15,000.
November 2025 marked her third year hosting the drive in Uvalde. She collected hundreds of toys for local youths and recruited area nonprofits to offer entertainment and mental health services, like bouncy houses and therapy dogs.
Magee hopes to expand her efforts to the Kansas City metro, specifically in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. She’s currently trying to partner with local nonprofits to gather resources that would allow her to support family members and victims of violence in the area.
Reporting from Laura Bauer and Caroline Zimmerman contributed to this report.
