Six months of pain for family of missing 2-y-o
Published:Saturday | November 12, 2022 | 12:07 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
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Six months of disaster and pain is how Jameal Mendez Sr describes the uncertainties surrounding the whereabouts of his two-year-old son, Jameal Jr, who has been missing since May 12.
Six months of disaster and pain is how Jameal Mendez Sr describes the uncertainties surrounding the whereabouts of his two-year-old son, Jameal Jr, who has been missing since May 12.
A distressed Mendez told The Gleaner that his birthday today, November 12, will be one of grief and despair.
The Clarendon family has been on tenterhooks since the toddler’s mysterious disappearance from their Rasta Corner home in Free Town in the central Jamaica parish.
Detective Ali-Jade Johnson, who oversees the missing people portfolio at the May Pen Police Station, told The Gleaner that based on undisclosed intelligence, the police will be channelling new investigative techniques to locate the toddler. This will involve amalgamated efforts of several entities, including the Canine Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
“This will be a [disastrous] birthday. Six months of disaster. Mi still deh yah with the heartache, still deh yah frustrated,” bemoaned Mendez.
Mendez said the pain is heavy as the family is yet to receive any useful information to locate their precious little one.
“Mi cyaa even blame di police seh them nah do nutten, because mi nuh have no information. Mi cyaa help dem fi help mi,” said Mendez, the grief evident in his voice.
The child’s mother, Kera Williams, however, believes the police can do more to locate their son.
According to her, after reposting a missing person’s poster of her son in late October, someone reached out to her, claiming they had seen the child at The University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew on May 19 – a week after his disappearance – alleging that someone had taken him in for a check-up.
Williams said the information was related to the police, but she does not believe they have acted on it.
“Me post it on Instagram, and the person message mi say them see mi baby at the clinic, but at the time, she never know seh him missing, so she couldn’t tell mi,” Williams told The Gleaner.
Johnson admitted being aware of the development.
“We got information that someone would have seen a particular child fitting the description [of that of Jameal] at a medical institution in Kingston. I am in the process of making checks. I spoke with the sergeant at the post at the hospital, so I am awaiting feedback from that sergeant there,” Johnson said.
The child’s grandmother, Audrey Walters, said she has been in distress for the last six months.
“Sometimes mi just lock up in the house and cry,” said Walters.
Walters said the family will leave no stones unturned until little Jameal is reunited with them.
“Wi nah drop it. It’s so frustrating and [Jameal’s] father nah tek it easy none at all. Every minute him break down.”