NY NY - Jaliek Rainwalker, 12, Greenwich, 13 Nov 2007

[Bobbisangel]

If he isn't guilty you would think that he would be doing everything in his power to prove himself innocent so that LE would stop looking at him. I believe that he is guilty and that is why he won't cooperate.

 

[LovingTheChaos]

His Webste is down - did someone take it down, or is it just down due to technical difficulties?

 

[pixies]

His Webste is down - did someone take it down, or is it just down due to technical difficulties?

oh no...
I honestly don't know. I hope it is a sign they found Jaliek. I pray he is safe.

 

[hoppyfrog]

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=655107&category=&BCCode=&newsdate=1/14/2008

14 Jan 08

Police looking for 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker said a video surveillance camera the night Rainwalker disappeared captured the image of a van similar to the one Rainwalker's adoptive father was using that night.

Police said the several seconds of video tape is a clue that potentially punches a hole in the story told by Rainwalker's adoptive father, Stephen Kerr. At the time the van was seen, Kerr had claimed to be asleep in his father's home with Rainwalker.

In a news conference in Greenwich today, police went on to assail Kerr for not cooperating with authorities and declared him a "person of interest" in the investigation.

more at link

 

[pixies]

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=655107&category=&BCCode=&newsdate=1/14/2008

14 Jan 08

Police looking for 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker said a video surveillance camera the night Rainwalker disappeared captured the image of a van similar to the one Rainwalker's adoptive father was using that night.

Police said the several seconds of video tape is a clue that potentially punches a hole in the story told by Rainwalker's adoptive father, Stephen Kerr. At the time the van was seen, Kerr had claimed to be asleep in his father's home with Rainwalker.

In a news conference in Greenwich today, police went on to assail Kerr for not cooperating with authorities and declared him a "person of interest" in the investigation.

more at link

It seems to me these people adopted *special* kids just for the money. They were living in a house without running water and lights, yet they recieved a 1,500 dollar check a month for Jaliek.
Wonder if drugs are involved in this. The "father" is a along with the mother.
I pray for Jaliek but I think he is gone.

 

[ThoughtFox]

http://www.poststar.com/articles/2008/01/09/news/local/13237530.txt

9 Jan 08

The adoptive father of Jaliek Rainwalker has been asked again to take a lie-detector test, but five days later, police have not received a response to that request.

much more at link

That just tells us everything we need to know. That and the fact they wanted his checks every month. And that the Dad was the last person to see him alive. :behindbar

Why are these stories so predictable? It's depressing for the human race.

 

[Jessica]

It is being reported the Steven Kerr, Jalicks adoptive father and person of interest is purchasing home and moving family out of state to Rupert VT. Neighbors there are concerned. Check out www.wnyt.com for further info.

 

[Bobbisangel]

Who in the world packs up and moves when they have a child missing...unless they know that he isn't ever coming home. If Kerr thinks that he is going to move away and forget that this ever happened it sounds like he is mistaken. Running isn't going to do him any good. I hope he is arrested before he gets the chance to move. He sounds like a real jerk.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

There is no way I would move if I had a child missing!! I would always worry that he may come home and I wouldn't be there for him.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

The AMW site mentions a "farewell note" from Jay. Do we have access to the note and the contents?

 

[SewingDeb]

The AMW site mentions a "farewell note" from Jay. Do we have access to the note and the contents?

Seriously,

This was in an article linked above:

Elaine Person said she is troubled by statements Kerr has made publicly about the note -- in Rainwalker's handwriting -- that Kerr said is proof the boy ran away.

Kerr has said the note read, "Dear everybody, I'm sorry for everything. I won't be a bother anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek."

"That wasn't a goodbye note, that was a homework assignment," Person said. Rainwalker and four other children are home-schooled by Kerr and his wife, Jocelyn McDonald. When Kerr dropped off Rainwalker at Person's home for respite care the week before he disappeared, he told Elaine his son's homework assignments included writing a letter of apology to people he had harmed.

Person said she saw Rainwalker write the note but did not read it, because she felt its contents were private. When she saw Kerr on television talking about the letter as a "goodbye" note several days later, she said she was stunned.

"I was yelling at the TV, 'That's not a goodbye note!' "

 

[SewingDeb]

More on the goodbye note:

http://www.findjaliek.org/letter.htm

The note, given to police as a “good-bye” note read: “Everybody, I’m sorry for everything. I won’t be a bother to you anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek”. It was in his best handwriting. We believe this was the letter of apology written to his home school group that he was no longer part of because of an inappropriate comment to a young child.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

After reading that website, it does seem fairly clear that the adopted father did have huge red flags above his head and could very well have everything to do with Jay going missing. The living conditions alone tell me that this man didn't care about the overall welfare of his family. (How did this man afford trips to Romania?!)

The note, I would agree, could be from an assignment such as the one described. I wish someone had taken the time to read it.

If Jay was just running away and he knew the respite home was a safe place where he enjoyed being...why wouldn't he just go there?

If they are moving to where the tip concentrated the search, they need to search again with the help of Equusearch.

Social services need to sit on this family and insure the wellbeing of the other children.

 

[SewingDeb]

I agree. Another search in that area might be called for. I'm not sure how far away the respite home was but you would think he would have the phone number to call them to come get him.

Will social services in Vermont know to watch this family? Coming from out of state, they may not be aware of the situation.

 

[SewingDeb]

SeriouslySearching,

I'm not sure how he could afford to go to Romania or how he could send his son to private school...reportedly $17,000 a year to attend. How many kids were they collecting money for? I guess if you don't have an electric bill or water bill, that would add to disposable income.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

According to what I read there were 5 children. I am not sure how many he collected money for or how he was obtaining funds. There is something very wrong with that picture tho. I don't understand why social services weren't called by the respite family.

 

[SewingDeb]

Did the respite family ever visit the home? They may not have been aware of the living conditions or the financial situation.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I believe their site was where I learned of the living conditions.

 

[SewingDeb]

I guess I'm wondering if they knew about the home conditions BEFORE Jaliek went missing.

 

[Kymistry35]

I don't think they realized until Jaliek's last visit, the conditions that the children were living in. I don't understand why they still have the other children. It's obvious they are unfit parents and that this so-called father killed poor Jaliek.