“Goodbye everybody”
It was around 8 am when Stephen Burrell Kerr found the note from his son.
“Dear everybody, I’m sorry for everything. I won’t be a bother anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek.”
Grabbing the letter, Kerr made his way to the police station.
Jaliek (pronounced Ja-leek) Rainwalker who often went by Jay has been missing from his Greenwich, New York home at the 10th Block of Hill Street since November 1, 2007. He was only twelve when he left that note for his his dad to find and was carrying no money or credit cards with him.
Possible Risk of Suicide
Jaliek was not an easy child to manage. His actual mother and father had adopted him out to Stephen Kerr and his wife when he was a child and since an early age Jaliek experienced emotional and mental complications. Jaliek was exposed to both alcohol and cocaine, and possibly other substances, while in utero, which no doubt contributed to his Reactive Attachment Disorder. A disorder that made Jaliek prone to “violent” and random outburst and created difficulties in developing relationships with peers and family.
Although Jaliek was considered “very intelligent” he was also a troubled young child. His other four siblings, whom also lived in the house, reported being afraid of Jaliek, especially during his outburst. The Charlie Project notes that Jaliek has a slight speech impediment in which he pronounces his “R” like a “W” should sound.
Jaliek’s adoptive father (Kerr) told detectives that his son was not on any medications and that he was both suicidal and homicidal.
A Complicated Living Situation
To complicate matters further, the Kerr household had no running water, no toilet access (including an outhouse), and used a generator for electricity.
The family and all the children slept in the same bedroom. When Stephen Kerr was questioned on his motivations for running his household this way he told detectives it was “better for the environment.”
Was The Father Involved?
In January 2008, police announced that Stephen Kerr was a “person of interest” in his son’s sudden disappearance, and for good reasons. Records show that one week before Jaliek went missing Kerr called a crisis hotline where he described his son as “unmanageable.”
Although Kerr claimed to be sleeping at the time (he claimed by 10:30 pm) when Jaliek left the home, cellphone records show he was in fact driving around Greenwich, New York. CCTV footage catching Kerr’s minivan can also substantiate these records.
As far as the note that Jaliek left claiming “I won’t be a bother anymore. Goodbye”, Kerr’s other children have claimed that Jaliek wrote it under Kerr’s guidance as a part of a “homework” assignment to apologize to all those he has hurt in the past.
Will Jaliek Rainwater Ever Be Found?
Chances are slim that Jaliek will be found, at least alive, soon. As previously mentioned, the twelve-year-old left with no money or credit cards or a solid plan to keep warm during harsh winter months.
Other developments in the case, such as an illegal search and entry, of the Kerr home have done nothing but complicate matters. At one point police found a human skull that piqued the interest of media sources, but once tested, was not the remains of Jaliek’s body.
Jaliek L. Rainwalker has been missing since November 1, 2007. He is a biracial and was born on August, 02, 1995, which makes twenty-six now. If you have any leads or information on his whereabouts, please use the links in the sources section to contact authorities.
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