Trust fund established for young Chesco abuse victim

An official trust fund has been set up to benefit the 6-year-old brother of Scott McMillan, the 3-year-old Chester County boy police say was beaten to death two weeks ago by his mother and her boyfriend.

DNB First, a bank based in Chester County, will handle the details of the trust account for the brother, who also suffered abuse in the household. Donations can be sent to Chester County Angel Trust, DNB First Wealth Management, 410 Exton Square Parkway, Exton, Pa. 19341.

The Crime Victims' Center of Chester County and the county's District Attorney's Office made the announcement Thursday.

"This child has been exposed to some things that no child should ever see or hear," District Attorney Thomas Hogan said in a statement. "He has lost his little brother. He was betrayed by the people who were supposed to care for him. The good people of this community cannot do anything to help Scotty except shed a tear and say a prayer, but we all can join together to help [the brother] rebuild his life."

James J. Terry Funeral Home in Downingtown covered all costs for Scott's funeral, according to the District Attorney's Office. Attorneys from the law firm Lamb McErlane in West Chester volunteered to establish the trust.

DNB First and attorney Skip Persick will act as trustees of the fund, the District Attorney's Office said.

The boys' mother, 31-year-old Jillian Tait, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Gary Fellenbaum, have been charged with murder. The two are accused of abusing both boys in the mobile home in West Caln where they lived. Scott McMillan was found dead in the home on Nov. 4. His brother is in the care of relatives.

"It is heartbreaking to know that Scotty suffered such horrific pain," Laura Sweeney Derrico, a Crime Victims' Center board member, said in a statement.

She said she hopes the creation of the trust will both honor Scott and show his brother that he is not alone. "He has a community surrounding him," she said.