Studies suggest people can recall memories from as early as two-and-a-half years old.

For most, early childhood memories are filled with warmth — a mother’s hug, a sibling’s laugh, a pet’s playful lick.

But for Josh Thompson, his earliest memory was one of terror and violence.

“It was the first time I saw my dad hit my mom.”

In 1990, Josh was just two years old. He remembers sitting in a parked car with his parents. Their voices grew loud, angry — fighting. His parents got out of the vehicle, but the shouting didn’t stop.

Suddenly, his father’s hand rose and struck his mother hard in the face. Josh saw her fall to the ground, only to be hit again moments later. Then, fueled by a terrifying rage, his father grabbed an object — he couldn’t tell exactly what — and began beating his mother on the head.

A Child’s Witness

The world spun for Josh. The next thing he knew, he was back inside the car, his father driving fast, the sounds of the night fading behind them.

Josh noticed something chilling — his mother’s purse resting on his lap, soaked with blood.

Even at two years old, he knew something was terribly wrong.

He asked, “Where’s Mommy?”

His father’s cold answer was, “She’s fine. I’m taking you to Granny’s house.”

But Josh remembered his mother lying helpless in a pile of leaves, silent and still.

At his grandmother’s home, Josh was dropped off and left behind. His father vanished, never to be seen or heard from again.

Growing up, Josh and his half-brother Vol clung to the memory of their mother — hoping the police would find justice for her brutal murder.

But years passed. The case went cold.

17 Years Later: A Brother’s Plea

In 2006, Vol made a desperate call to the Fort Worth police department.

“We know you’re busy and all, but we were wondering what the status of our mom’s case was.”

For 17 years, the brutal murder of their mother had remained unsolved — the killer free, the family haunted by unanswered questions.

Josh knew who had done it — his father. But as a traumatized toddler, he was powerless. His memories, though vivid, were dismissed by investigators who struggled with the idea of a toddler’s testimony.

Still, those early memories never left Josh, shaping his life, driving him to seek the truth.

The Fight for Justice

With Vol’s call, new attention was brought to the cold case. Advances in forensic science and a renewed investigation gave the family hope that someday, the man who destroyed their lives would be held accountable.

For Josh Thompson, the innocence of childhood was stolen in an instant. But through courage and persistence, his voice — and the memory of his mother — refused to be silenced.

Because sometimes, even the youngest witnesses carry the heaviest truths.