Standing in the ruins of her Malibu mansion, Shelley Sykes is speaking about the Palisades fire that claimed the life of her 32-year-old son, Rory. She suddenly stops talking and starts meowing — communicating with one of her beloved pet peacocks, Mikee, who has wandered across the road. It is jarring. But as she explains, she adores those birds, in part because they were gifted to her by Rory. They also happen to have been born on his birthday — which is also Shelley's birthday. Yes, they were all born on the same day, July 29.
It is quirks like this, in addition to Shelley's eagerness to speak — often without complete clarity — that has a grieving mother misunderstood. Rory Sykes, who had cerebral palsy, died on January 8, 2025, after his self-contained cottage burnt down in the LA inferno. His home was located at the rear of his mother's six-bedroom mansion on their 17-acre Malibu estate.
Rory was intelligent, a real nerd according to Shelley. A gamer, who boasted online that if he was awake, he was logged in to fantasy game RuneScape. He liked his privacy and avoided mingling with people — in part, his mum says, due to his mobility challenges.
The Palisades fire
The Palisades fire started on January 7, several kilometres from Malibu, but eventually the flames roared towards the Sykes' neighbourhood. Shelley and Rory had ignored multiple evacuation orders. We had a fire a month earlier on December the 10th in 2024, Shelley said. And that was the first shocking fire we experienced. And Rory and I stayed. So that made us a little bit complacent.
Shelley — a TV producer, motivational speaker, singer and eccentric entrepreneur — announced her son's death on social media platform X. Almost immediately, reporters from many of the world's biggest media outlets began calling, and Shelley responded to tell the world about her miracle boy, who she says had overcome extraordinary odds.
Online abuse and conspiracy theories
The internet lit up with a barrage of vile accusations and unsubstantiated theories. Strangers and anonymous armchair detectives suggested Shelley was in some way to blame for the death of her special needs son. She was called a monster and a murderer, including, shockingly, by her own relatives.
So what sparked the torrent of abuse? According to the haters, it was Shelley's demeanour across her many TV interviews and seeming inconsistencies when recounting what happened during the fire. I was shocked that they said that I was being accused of certain things, like murdering my baby, she said. But perhaps surprisingly, she is not angry about the cruel claims. The first time it shocked me, why would they say that when I've loved my baby all these years? But then I saw it at a different angle, she said. That [it] is so kind that they love my Rory. They didn't know that he decided to stay there because the fire department was there. They didn't know it was his choice at 32-and-a-half. I think it's beautiful they cared enough.
But the cyber sleuths — some of them well-meaning, on a Justice for Rory crusade — went even further. They started digging up information about Shelley's past, including her charity and company financials, the ruling of a previous court case, and council planning hearings related to the permit status of the structure they believe Rory was living in.
Rory's cottage
Shelley says the structure was built to code. The Santa Monica Mountains, where Shelley and Rory lived, is a high-risk fire zone. Building to code can mean the difference between survival and destruction. According to the LA County Planning division though, no permit was issued, stating: ...no building permits were issued for this storage structure. No applications were ever received for a habitable accessory structure. It was not reviewed for compliance with Building Code or Fire Code standards, including life safety and structural integrity standards.
Shelley's 'celebrity TV house'
There were also accusations of deception, with the sleuths citing legal action taken against Shelley over what she claimed was a world-class TV studio. Shortly after moving in, in 2014, Shelley embarked on major renovations, including upgrading the windows. To do that, Shelley made an agreement to give California Deluxe Windows (CDW) publicity and exposure in exchange for their products. She sent me emails stating that Obama's wife, Michelle, and everybody else will be there and she will videotape them next to the windows, and they will mention it and everything else, said company owner Aaron Adirim.
It all ended up in a Los Angeles courthouse. Adirim sued Shelley for breach of contract and fraud. During the case, the court found that Shelley was not credible in many respects of her testimony, and she was eventually ordered to pay more than $100,000. Shelley describes the whole ordeal as a nightmare, saying she had every intention for CDW to gain exposure on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Vogue Living, adding: I've got the emails.
The Happy Charity
In what — they say — was in the name of justice, the cyber detectives delved deep into Shelley's past, questioning every aspect of her life. Like the charity she founded with Rory. They pointed out that Shelley still promotes the charity, which is deregistered in Australia and most of the US for failing to file the required paperwork. It is only registered in Nevada.
The official investigation
While the conspiracies swirl, a real investigation into the destructive and deadly Palisades fire is ongoing in America, with the blame game currently in overdrive. The actions of individuals and government departments is under the microscope with more than 3000 victims suing the city of Los Angeles and the state of California for what lawyers say was a litany of failures. Shelley is one of the 3000 and stands to make millions. Some critics have gone so far as to suggest she was only ever after money.
When asked what she was expecting to receive if she wins the case, Shelley told 7NEWS: Nobody's mentioned money. All I did was sign the documents that they would represent the business, the house, and my Rory. I honestly have no idea. I hope it's as much as they can get because Rory's not a figure. There were no property insurance and Rory had no life insurance.
Following inquiries, the LA County Sheriff Department's Homicide Bureau sent a statement on Saturday: We have contacted Code Enforcement (who works directly with Building and Safety) to discuss the information you provided regarding the Sykes' ADU (Rory's cottage). Based on the fact that the ADU, along with the primary residence, were destroyed in the massive wildfire, along with hundreds of other structures in the area, there would be little to no evidence to pursue this particular matter criminally. It would likely, at best, be a civil matter and we do not get involved in civil cases. Regarding Shelley's statements made to the media regarding her son, the information was given to our detectives for follow-up. However, based on our investigation, we do not suspect foul play at this time.
