This heartbreaking photo essay just won a Pulitzer Prize

Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Courtesy of the Pulitzer Prizes

This year's Pulitzer Prize in the "feature photography" category tells a heartbreaking tale of Strider Wolf.

Living in Maine with his grandparents, Larry and Lanette, Strider, 6, suffered severe physical abuse from his mother's boyfriend at the mere age of 2.

Poverty-stricken, Larry and Lanette were evicted from their home when photographer Jessica Rinaldi began documenting their story for The Boston Globe.

During the summer, the family lived in various campsites out of their cluttered mobile home. The series was nominated by The Boston Globe's editor Brian McGrory.

"In the chaos and deprivation, Wolf had a simple and abiding wish: to be loved," wrote McGrory in his entry cover letter. 

Ahead, the moving series and The Boston Globe's original reporting, courtesy of the Pulitzer Prizes.  

Strider Wolf was born poor in rural Maine. When he was 2, his mother's raging boyfriend beat him nearly to death. He managed to pull through, ending up in the care of his grandparents who became homeless trying to provide for Strider and his younger brother, Gallagher.

After two years of not paying the rent, the family was given 30 days to pack their things and leave. On the night of the eviction, Strider's grandparents move their possessions into a storage space.

On the night of the eviction, Lanette and her son's fiancée Ashly take a break from packing up the family's belongings. As the night goes on, it becomes clear that they are not going to be able to take all of their possessions with them.