(Newser) – Little Jeffrey Baldwin always wanted to fly, his father testified at an inquest into the 5-year-old's death, which concluded earlier this year: "He dressed up (as Superman) for Halloween one year. ... He was our little man of steel." The Toronto boy, whose teenage parents lost custody of him to his grandparents, was starved to death by the latter couple in 2002. Todd Boyce of Ottawa was so touched by the story, he raised money to erect a memorial statue in Toronto showing Jeffrey in the Superman costume, exactly as the little boy is pictured in a photo. But now DC Entertainment has put the kibosh on that idea, Boyce tells the Canadian Press.

"Basically they didn't want to have the character of Superman associated with child abuse. They weren't comfortable with that," Boyce explains, so permission to use the Superman logo was denied. In an email to Boyce obtained by the Toronto Sun, a DC exec says the company was "so touched by Jeffrey's story" but could not allow the logo to be used "for a variety of legal reasons." Instead, the memorial, designed by Ontario artist Ruth Abernethy, will show Jeffrey with a "J" on his chest instead of the iconic "S." It is expected to be unveiled in September. Jeffrey's grandparents were convicted of second-degree murder in 2006, but the inquest was convened to recommend changes to the child protection system in Ontario, USA Today reports. (Read more DC Comics stories.)

