NY NY - Patrick Alford, 7, Brooklyn, 22 Jan 2010 - #1

[Kat]

Bump this post:

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - NY NY - Patrick Alford, 7-year-old "runaway", Brooklyn, 22 Jan 2010

Snipped from post above:

...Police said it is among the most intense searches in recent history with 9,100 apartments at 214 buildings canvassed and 14,000 people interviewed.

They've even devoted a situation room to Patrick at the precinct house. Maps and photographs cover the walls

Yesterday afternoon well into the evening I read every post and every article and every video posted here for Patrick (thank you all very much!).

I don't have the time right now to go back and extract every post in which I read the specifics in order to support my post, please forgive. The informatiion is not my work and all thank you's need to go to those that have posted and kept Patrick's thread up to date.

The above snip from I4G's post, gives us how many people are working this case. It is huge and huge resources are being spent to find Patrick. Thank goodness.

Patrick was seen leaving the lobby. His FP (foster parent) was seen searching for him on video. That leads me to believe that video's were available to LE. Since it was not reported who saw Patrick leave the lobby, as of right now I'm going to assume that LE saw him on video leave. JMHO. (The FP's story is probably her CYAing because she knew he was a possible runner but letting him take out the trash is not illegal. Irresponsible given her length of experience as a FP? Marginally. Not prosecutable.)

The bus stop? The Belt Parkway? The home on Staten Island? All places that Patrick's scent was picked up. Went cold.

I am trusting the 4 yr old sister of Patrick's account that he took out the trash. To the hallway? and then made a run for it? JMHO.

Maybe he did make it to that bus stop? Maybe his scent was there from a previous day? Who can say with accuracy? Perhaps he made it to the bus stop with intentions to try to get back to SI. Perhaps someone gave him a ride (stranger?)? I don't know at this point.

His Mother's arrests, prior, during and after Patrick's disappearance are a distraction IMHO. Probably not connected to his disappearing JMHO.

I didn't read any sightings reported of Patrick. In a missing child case that can be a very bad sign. JMHO. Maybe not depends.

He walked (ran) into the night on a very cold snowy (reportedly) evening. He has not been seen since.

My heart tells me to hold out hope that he is okay and will be returned home soon.

My mind tells me after watching all the various crimes against children that we read here daily on WS that he won't be coming home in the condition I am praying for

If his family reads here. My prayers are with you. Please do not let my words upset you.

 

[CHICANA]

According to the news item, and I am only copying like one sentence here, it was not the social worker who accused her of lying:

According to the ACS caseworker’s report, Jennifer’s pleas and Patrick’s expressed wishes to be with his dad fell on deaf ears because she lied in court that Alford Sr.’s girlfriend abused her children.

I don't have a transcript of that court hearing, but if in fact she lied in open court, then it was in front of a judge. Much different scenario than a social worker saying "she lied to me".

If it was determined she lied, then why didn't they give dad custody ? Where's the perjury charge ? I see this as the ACS worker's opinion. If it was determined she lied in court, then shouldn't the court have said, "We find mom lied about dad's girlfriend being abusive so dad gets custody" ? Not "We find mom lied, dad's girlfriend is NOT abusive but it doesn't matter because he's still not going to live with dad because we already got the foster home picked out " ?
Mom wanted to keep her kids and said she thought the girlfriend was abusive. We don't know she lied. Patrick might have told her she was mean and he didn't like her or that she yelled at him. She might have considered this abusive.
IMO, when she knew they were taking them, she might have decided the girlfriend was better than a stranger. Plus, if dad wasn't accused of being abusive why not give him to dad and do home visits to make sure everything was ok ?
Dad should have had rights in all this.

 

[Kat]

FWIW, I am working something right now. It may be an anomaly. (Given where I saw this connection, it more than likely is IMHO) but I'm going to blood hound it anyway. I saw a possible (one time on one website, again that might be an anomaly or uncompletely related surnames given that surnames are not uncommon) a connection between the surname of the missing child and the surname of a place that was searched for him. Again, I will not post what I find if anything. If I do find a connection I will 1. Compose an email to the NYC LE in charge of this investigation outlining the connection (if proven to be one!) 2. Contact a mod here for clearance to post if it is a connection after I send the info to LE 3. If given clearance by a mod then I will bring it here.

This is more than likely NOTHING. However, every detail must be looked at---relooked at---and looked at again. If it is a connection I'm sure LE already knows about it.

JMHO.

 

[RubyRed]

FWIW, I am working something right now. It may be an anomaly. (Given where I saw this connection, it more than likely is IMHO) but I'm going to blood hound it anyway. I saw a possible (one time on one website, again that might be an anomaly or uncompletely related surnames given that surnames are not uncommon) a connection between the surname of the missing child and the surname of a place that was searched for him. Again, I will not post what I find if anything. If I do find a connection I will 1. Compose an email to the NYC LE in charge of this investigation outlining the connection (if proven to be one!) 2. Contact a mod here for clearance to post if it is a connection after I send the info to LE 3. If given clearance by a mod then I will bring it here.

This is more than likely NOTHING. However, every detail must be looked at---relooked at---and looked at again. If it is a connection I'm sure LE already knows about it.

JMHO.

Thanks Kat.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

It's only been one day, but have you concluded anything, Kat? Worth sending to LE?

Been a busy weekend, but I'm going to look some more at the bus and subway maps later this afternoon.

 

[webrocket]

If it was determined she lied, then why didn't they give dad custody ? Where's the perjury charge ? I see this as the ACS worker's opinion. If it was determined she lied in court, then shouldn't the court have said, "We find mom lied about dad's girlfriend being abusive so dad gets custody" ? Not "We find mom lied, dad's girlfriend is NOT abusive but it doesn't matter because he's still not going to live with dad because we already got the foster home picked out " ?
Mom wanted to keep her kids and said she thought the girlfriend was abusive. We don't know she lied. Patrick might have told her she was mean and he didn't like her or that she yelled at him. She might have considered this abusive.
IMO, when she knew they were taking them, she might have decided the girlfriend was better than a stranger. Plus, if dad wasn't accused of being abusive why not give him to dad and do home visits to make sure everything was ok ?
Dad should have had rights in all this.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think we've heard a peep from Patrick's father. Who knows if he wanted the responsibility of taking the kids especially if bio-mom already falsely accused his girlfriend of abuse.

The reality here is, and I am probably going to get a pile of flack for this, but the outcome here was almost entirely the product of one bad decision after another made by bio-mom. Sure some can blame foster mom, child services, the judge, the police, etc. However, most people never have child services enter their homes and it was her own behavior that got the system involved in the first place.

No parent should have to go through this agony, but if one honestly asks why any of it happened, it was bio-mom's actions.

I hope Patrick is found safe and in one piece. Given the passage of time, I fear that outcome will not happen.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Patrick's father did appear on AMW. But I don't think there's been anything other than that from him. I wonder if he's been going to the vigils, etc.

 

[CHICANA]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think we've heard a peep from Patrick's father. Who knows if he wanted the responsibility of taking the kids especially if bio-mom already falsely accused his girlfriend of abuse.

The reality here is, and I am probably going to get a pile of flack for this, but the outcome here was almost entirely the product of one bad decision after another made by bio-mom. Sure some can blame foster mom, child services, the judge, the police, etc. However, most people never have child services enter their homes and it was her own behavior that got the system involved in the first place.

No parent should have to go through this agony, but if one honestly asks why any of it happened, it was bio-mom's actions.

I hope Patrick is found safe and in one piece. Given the passage of time, I fear that outcome will not happen.

It's not usually their behavior that gets child services involved, in many cases it's an anonymous call made by someone the bio parent has ticked off. The people who make these calls out of vengeance are a far cry from being stellar citizens themselves.
It wasn't bio mom's actions. She knew where Patrick was before the 'system' got their hands on him.
Even though Patrick wasn't abused, he was still taken by CPS, even though there were numerous family members willing to take care of him, he was still put in a foster home. Mom was not in charge when he disappeared from that foster home. Mom committing theft or whatever it was doesn't change the fact that she didn't lose him and that by all indications, he was happy and loved and VERY attached to his family members.
The 'system' was in charge of making sure he was safe once they took over as parent.
I don't know how his disappearance can be blamed on mom unless she took him.

My understanding is that Patrick's little sister is now with their father who knows where she is.
The boy's father, also named Patrick Alford - who has since been granted custody of Patrick's younger sister

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/201...issing_city_cops_mystified.html#ixzz0onIKY1Ho

He's not about to speak out against the system for fear of losing his little girl.
Maybe forever, like Patrick.

 

[Kat]

It's only been one day, but have you concluded anything, Kat? Worth sending to LE?

Been a busy weekend, but I'm going to look some more at the bus and subway maps later this afternoon.

Hi I4G. I am still working on it. I was able to work a little last night but not today. Tomorrow will be packed full too with activities and responsibilities I can't put off. I plan to have some time Tuesday morning and that time I will dig as deep as I can through the internet.

But to answer your question, nope can't find any connections except for that possible one and the website I saw it at isn't one that I trust completely.

But I'm not done 'till I'm done I keep picking and digging to make as certain as I can that it's not a connection.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Four months missing.

 

[webrocket]

It's not usually their behavior that gets child services involved, in many cases it's an anonymous call made by someone the bio parent has ticked off. The people who make these calls out of vengeance are a far cry from being stellar citizens themselves.
It wasn't bio mom's actions. She knew where Patrick was before the 'system' got their hands on him.
Even though Patrick wasn't abused, he was still taken by CPS, even though there were numerous family members willing to take care of him, he was still put in a foster home. Mom was not in charge when he disappeared from that foster home. Mom committing theft or whatever it was doesn't change the fact that she didn't lose him and that by all indications, he was happy and loved and VERY attached to his family members.
The 'system' was in charge of making sure he was safe once they took over as parent.
I don't know how his disappearance can be blamed on mom unless she took him.

My understanding is that Patrick's little sister is now with their father who knows where she is.
The boy's father, also named Patrick Alford - who has since been granted custody of Patrick's younger sister

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/201...issing_city_cops_mystified.html#ixzz0onIKY1Ho

He's not about to speak out against the system for fear of losing his little girl.
Maybe forever, like Patrick.

I understand you sentiments Chicana, but I am trying to look at the big picture here. Since we are talking about child services, most of that information is sealed out of privacy concerns for the family, which includes the children.

I am trying to envision how she was in court and made the false claim that Patrick's girlfriend was abusive. It could have been (and this is speculation but given the context it is quite possible) that Patrick's father did want custody of Patrick for whatever reason (usually some claim of unfitness). Bio-mom decides to turn the table and throw mud at the girlfriend.

Actions like this, besides bordering on perjury if in fact the statements were false and made under oath, are purely selfish acts where it was all about her and not the best interests of her son.

In retrospect, had bio-mom not made up the claims against the girlfriend, Patrick might have been placed with his father when she was going to be sent to jail on her theft conviction. Further, I don't remember reading what she stole or why, but again very short-sighted decision making on her part. So was she expecting to get a free pass on jail since she was raising children? It does not usually work that way.

Her prior false claims poisoned the whole situation so a decision was made to place Patrick in foster care when it came time to lock her up for the theft conviction. She also (apparently) went to great lenghths to find out where he was placed which (apparently) is also against the rules.

I see Patrick as bearing all the punishment for his mother's extremely poor decisions. Very sad.

 

[RubyRed]

​

International Missing Children's Day, 25 May, is a day where people around the world commemorate the missing children who have found their way home, remember those who have been victims of crime, and continue efforts to find those who are still missing.


The main purpose of International Missing Children's Day is to encourage everyone to think about children who remain missing and to spread a message of hope.

Australia, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Romania, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, member countries the Global Missing Children’s Network, have joined to raise awareness of the impact and issue surrounding missing children and to help bring them home by spreading a global message.​

http://www.missingpersons.gov.au/awareness/campaigns/youthchildrens-day.aspx​

 

[CHICANA]

I understand you sentiments Chicana, but I am trying to look at the big picture here. Since we are talking about child services, most of that information is sealed out of privacy concerns for the family, which includes the children.

I am trying to envision how she was in court and made the false claim that Patrick's girlfriend was abusive. It could have been (and this is speculation but given the context it is quite possible) that Patrick's father did want custody of Patrick for whatever reason (usually some claim of unfitness). Bio-mom decides to turn the table and throw mud at the girlfriend.

Actions like this, besides bordering on perjury if in fact the statements were false and made under oath, are purely selfish acts where it was all about her and not the best interests of her son.

In retrospect, had bio-mom not made up the claims against the girlfriend, Patrick might have been placed with his father when she was going to be sent to jail on her theft conviction. Further, I don't remember reading what she stole or why, but again very short-sighted decision making on her part. So was she expecting to get a free pass on jail since she was raising children? It does not usually work that way.

Her prior false claims poisoned the whole situation so a decision was made to place Patrick in foster care when it came time to lock her up for the theft conviction. She also (apparently) went to great lenghths to find out where he was placed which (apparently) is also against the rules.

I see Patrick as bearing all the punishment for his mother's extremely poor decisions. Very sad.

I frankly can't see how this conclusion was derived solely on the comment by the social worker that mom lied in court.
We don't have access to the records, we don't even know what the accusation might have been. Again, if they found that mom was lying, there was no reason not to give him to dad.
If she lied, where's the perjury charge ? That would be a criminal charge and open to the public.

And why the heck would they punish Patrick for his mom's bad choices ? Aren't they supposed to help him and make sure he's in a better and safer environment ? If not, what are they using our tax $$ for ??

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I don't think they knew about the lie until later. If mom is in jail, and dad's home has a claim of abuse, they have to place the kids somewhere. Why they didn't put them with another family member, I don't know. Does it really matter at this point? Really? We can't go back and change it. We can blame someone, but what good does that do? And frankly, with all of the verbal defamation OF and BY pretty much everyone involved in this case, until Patrick is found, we may never know the whole truth.

 

[RJA00]

I cant belive it's been 4 months

nobody really reporting about him anymore.

My foster children did threaten to run away, but thank god none of them did
the one that I worried most about was the same age as patrick

I hope this case is solved soon

 

[webrocket]

I frankly can't see how this conclusion was derived solely on the comment by the social worker that mom lied in court.
We don't have access to the records, we don't even know what the accusation might have been. Again, if they found that mom was lying, there was no reason not to give him to dad.
If she lied, where's the perjury charge ? That would be a criminal charge and open to the public.

And why the heck would they punish Patrick for his mom's bad choices ? Aren't they supposed to help him and make sure he's in a better and safer environment ? If not, what are they using our tax $$ for ??

It was not their intent to punish Patrick. It was a by-product of the sequence of events.

I do not know the bio-mom, I only know what I've read. I have, however, met people who remind me of her. I'm not going to go on a tirade about such personalities, but they often view children as possessions. Surely people are free to have children and hopefully they have the ability to nurture them, provide for them, and keep them safe.

Child services usually do not show up on someone's doorstep by accident. The most common complaint about child services is that they did too little, too late. In this case, because bio-mom was not able to take care of Patrick (due to her own criminal activity) child services had to do something.

 

[RubyRed]

Why is National Media Coverage Lacking for Missing Biracial Child Patrick Kennedy Alford?​

Type in the name of biracial, seven year-old Patrick Kennedy Alford, a foster child who has been missing since January, 22, 2010, into the search engines of National Media Outlets like MSNBC, FOX, CNN, and ABC and you'll soon realize that coverage by them is non-existent lacking--kudos to CBS News who ran a full feature story about Alford on their Crimesider blog​

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life...biracial-child-patrick-kennedy-alford-969523/​

 

[RubyRed]

On Staten Island, mom and kin keep the faith for young Patrick Alford

Family members of Patrick Alford, who has been missing since January, join members of Mount Sinai Church for a prayer vigil led by Rev. Dr. Victor Brown​

.

Patrick Alford is still out there ... somewhere.

It’s this hope that keeps Jennifer Rodriguez going. A hope beyond hope.

And a prayer that, at any second, her phone will ring and Patrick’s well-remembered voice will be on the other end telling mommy to open the door because he’s coming home.
Advance file photo
Jennifer Rodriguez, 23, holds a photograph of her son, Patrick Alford in this file photo.​

Last night, at a vigil for the missing 7-year-old New Brighton boy held at Mount Sinai United Christian Church in Tompkinsville, which Jennifer’s aunt Brenda Ortiz attends, the Rev. Dr. Victor A. Brown helped Jennifer and several family members keep that hope alive by taking to Pike Street and locking hands in a prayer circle.​

http://blog.silive.com/around_the_b...and_kin_keep_the_faith_for_young_patrick.html​

 

[Kat]

I4G and everyone else

I did have time this afternoon to work on what I said I was working on. I spent about 3 and half hours and never could find any connection. It was just an incorrect entry or a truncated entry for Patrick's surname that looked like the name I referred to back thread.

I was disappointed but not surprised given how much man power that has gone into Patrick's search.

Come home soon little buddy. I am praying for you everynight just like other children listed here.

 

[CHICANA]

It was not their intent to punish Patrick. It was a by-product of the sequence of events.

I do not know the bio-mom, I only know what I've read. I have, however, met people who remind me of her. I'm not going to go on a tirade about such personalities, but they often view children as possessions. Surely people are free to have children and hopefully they have the ability to nurture them, provide for them, and keep them safe.

Child services usually do not show up on someone's doorstep by accident. The most common complaint about child services is that they did too little, too late. In this case, because bio-mom was not able to take care of Patrick (due to her own criminal activity) child services had to do something.

I disagree but I'm not going to continue this debate after voicing my opinion that being charged with theft didn't make her an unfit parent. She was released from jail and child services didn't HAVE to do anything because Patrick wasn't abused. Absolutely no indication or proof that Patrick was ever at risk of physical abuse or death that's required by the law to take a child from his parent. Unless someone can show me that there was any evidence that Patrick was ever abused, I cannot be convinced that it was necessary to disrupt his life and take him from his family.

Isn't it the law that a child has to be at serious risk of physical harm to be taken from their parents ?
Is the new rule that children can be taken from parents who make poor choices ?

If I go out and get drunk with friends while leaving my children at home safe with grandma ( hypothetical because I don't go out & my mom's dead) and happen to get a DWI, does the state have the right to come in & take my kids even though I made sure they were safe and unaffected by my poor choices ?

The state's not there to decide if a parent is worthy enough to keep their children, they're there to intervene when a child is abused.

However I concede that Idaho is right, casting blame isn't going to bring Patrick home.
I'm going to try to refrain from defending my position that children who aren't abused shouldn't be put in foster care.