SAGINAW, MI — The names Torriano Yrlas-Thomas and Taylor Burton may never appear together in a box score or headline, but the young men shared more than just their age and love of basketball. They now share something far more tragic — two grieving mothers bound together by unimaginable loss.
Yrlas-Thomas, 21, was shot and killed on February 28. Just 19 days earlier, Burton, 20, lost his life to gun violence on February 9.
Related: Saginaw mother mourns former Bridgeport athlete killed in Feb. 9 shooting
In the weeks since, their mothers — Vicky Yrlas and Tiffany Blair-Burton — have found comfort in one another, their stories woven together through pain, perseverance and a growing call for justice.
Related: ‘Don’t let him be forgotten’: Saginaw mom seeks justice in son’s murder
They met at a candlelight vigil hosted by Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) on April 10 at Saginaw’s Andersen Enrichment Center. Blair-Burton approached Yrlas without knowing her, drawn by something unspoken.
“I just saw her and went over to her,” she said.
A connection was made. A sisterhood was formed.
Both mothers keep their sons alive in the digital memories stored on their phones — text messages, FaceTime calls, photos and videos. These are now treasures — proof that their boys were here, that they lived and loved and laughed.
From fixing bikes to fixing hearts
Yrlas-Thomas once built an exercise bike for his mom. Burton rebuilt an exercise machine for his. Both loved to fix things, from mini bikes to appliances. They played sports. Burton excelled in football and basketball, while Yrlas-Thomas was a hooper and a boxer.
They shared a deep love of nature and a desire to protect the women in their lives.
“Y’all took my life,” Blair-Burton said. “My son was my protector.”
She was watching a movie the day he died. It had touched her, so she texted him: “Love you, my heart.” He replied, “I love you too.” They talked on FaceTime. He asked if she could pick him up later. She agreed and started getting dressed.
Not long after, her daughter called, screaming through the phone: “Mama, they say Taylor got shot!”
Blair-Burton remembers everything and nothing from that moment.
“I can’t remember what I had in my hand, but whatever it was, it went flying,” she said. She raced down Genesee Avenue, hitting 110 mph.
“When I got by Little Caesars and saw the yellow tape, my heart dropped,” she said.
At the hospital, the doors were locked. She fell to her knees, begging to be let in.
“I kinda knew my son was gone, but I kept praying.”
A chain of tragedy
Around the time of Burton’s death, and before the two mothers became acquainted, Yrlas texted her son about a shooting near Stone Elementary School. He said he knew the victim — they had played basketball together in AAU. It was Burton. Two weeks later, her son was gone too.
“I always thought it was going to be that bike,” Yrlas said, referring to his hobby of building and riding. “But it changed when they said he was shot.”
His tools and bike parts still sit untouched in the garage. His pets — two birds, a guinea pig and a dog — remain in the home.
Yrlas scrolled through her texts and camera feed, remembering how he used technology to stay connected.
“He once talked to me from the (home security) camera he bought me,” she said softly.
Waiting for justice
Both women say they are still waiting on justice — and answers.
“I call at least once a week,” Yrlas said.
Blair-Burton said she called Crime Stoppers and every organization connected to Saginaw.
“I thought a search warrant meant fast and speedy,” she said. “It’s been two months and we’re still waiting on evidence from social media. I’m tired.”
She tried to stop calling every day and let police do their jobs. “But how long is it going to take?”
She still hasn’t opened Burton’s death certificate.
Help for the hurting
Both mothers have found some solace in connecting with HELP (Healing Empowering Loving People), a local support group.
The HELP Family Support Division for grieving families is led by women who aren’t just volunteers — they’re survivors.
Tiffany Owens has lost two of her three children to gun violence. Her son, Tamaris Steward Jr., was killed by a stray bullet in 2012 at age 12. Her daughter, Tamarea Steward, was 26 when she was shot and killed in 2023 after a gunman fired into a crowded party. Neither case has been solved.
Related: Mother of Saginaw shooting victim won’t rest until she has justice for her daughter
“Every day is not a good day,” Owens said. “Every day is not going to be a good moment. And it’s OK to not be OK.”
Jackie Danks, another HELP volunteer, lost her son Izaiah “Zae” Danks in 2022. He was shot approximately 10 times in the parking lot of Saginaw’s Birch Park Apartments and clung to life for nearly a month before dying from his injuries.
Related: Saginaw mother faces down ‘Demon’ who murdered teen son in Birch Park
“It came from going through it alone,” Danks said of her decision to get involved. “It was a lonely time and the hardest time in my life. And if we can help other moms with this — it’s a big puzzle, and HELP is a piece of this puzzle.”
The group connects with grieving families within the first week of a tragedy, attends funerals, visits cemeteries, joins families at court dates and balloon releases — whatever is needed to help.
“We do it all,” Danks said. “We try to keep the mothers as uplifted as possible. It helps us as well.”
“People don’t know the resources that are available to them,” she added.
Blair-Burton and Yrlas say the support has been meaningful.
“When I’m with the ladies of HELP,” Yrlas said, “I feel like I can relate to them.”
Beyond ‘no snitching’
Both women want the silence to end.
“I just want people to speak up,” Yrlas said.
“Stop this no snitching BS,” Blair-Burton added. “When someone is murdered and you see it and tell the police, you are not snitching. You’re doing a good deed.”
“Right,” Yrlas agreed. “Snitching is when you’re doing dirt with somebody and tell on them to save yourself. That’s snitching. But this? This is saving lives.”
Blair-Burton said she wants to look the person who killed her son in the eyes and ask why. “Why did you shoot and kill my son if he had his hands up and gave you what you wanted? What possessed you to pull that trigger?”
There have been eight homicides in the city of Saginaw this year. All but one of the eight victims died from gunshots.
Police are urging anyone with information about these deaths to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-5245. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Carrying on, together
Though nothing can bring their sons back, the mothers say their mission is to keep pushing forward — for justice, for healing and for other families who may one day walk this same agonizing road.
Blair-Burton and Yrlas may have never shared a basketball court, but in their sons’ deaths, they’ve become teammates in something deeper: two mothers fighting for answers.
Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free “3@3″ daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.