Image courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Information courtesy of The Charley Project

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

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About Jaliek

Jaliek Rainwalker was born on August 2, 1995. Very little is known about his birth and early life, but from the information available, he dealt with many difficult circumstances. He was exposed to alcohol and cocaine before birth. Because of this exposure, he would later develop personality and developmental challenges.

Within days, Jaliek was placed in foster care, where he would spend his first seven years of life in six different foster homes. These were therapeutic foster homes, meaning that his foster parents received additional training to care for kids with special needs. Despite this training, many of his foster parents were unable to give him the support he needed, and he was moved to other foster homes.

Because of these disruptions, he didn’t have the opportunity to form a steady relationship with a primary caregiver, and he developed Reactive Attachment Disorder. Among other symptoms, this disorder can cause mental health issues and behavioral problems.

This was the case for Jaliek. From early on, he would have violent outbursts that could last up to an hour. During these outbursts, he would physically attack others, and his foster parents found it difficult to console him. He also had a speech impediment which caused him to pronounce the letter “r” like the letter “w,” and he found it difficult to pronounce his own name. As a result, he went by the nickname Jay.

Despite his challenges, many remember him as a beautiful, generous, loving, and intelligent child. One of his former foster parents, Jodi Schoen, admired his intelligence, noting that once he learned to read, he read a book a day. She also noted that he was an active boy who loved to run and play soccer, and he had an interest in dinosaurs.

Jodi and her husband Larry were Jaliek’s sixth foster placement. They did their best to provide for him, and they even planned on adopting him, but his violent tendencies escalated to the point where they threatened the family’s safety. The final straw came when he attacked their younger daughter in the middle of an outburst. At that point, they made the heartbreaking decision to not move forward with the adoption and place him with another family.

Soon after, he was moved to his final placement with a married couple, Stephen Kerr and Jocelyn McDonald. From outward appearances, this seemed to be the ideal placement for the young boy. Stephen and Jocelyn had three biological sons and one adopted daughter, and they were excited and enthusiastic about adding Jaliek to their family.

For a while, things seemed to be going well for him. He seemed to be happy, and Stephen and Jocelyn finalized the adoption, making him an official part of their family.

However, details later emerged that called this into question. At the time of his disappearance, Stephen, Jocelyn, and their children were living a “non-traditional lifestyle.” They lived in a cabin without running water, outhouses instead of toilets, and electricity from a generator that ran for a few hours each day, reportedly because it was better for the environment. The cabin was about 20 feet by 20 feet, and the entire family slept in the same room.

At the same time, a few people, including Jocelyn’s parents, began to question the treatment of Jaliek and the adopted daughter. Although this information has never been verified, Jaliek and the adopted daughter were treated differently from the biological children. The adopted children were often isolated, sent to bed early, denied snacks, and given fewer toys compared to the biological children.

Over the next five years, his adoptive parents reported that Jaliek’s behavior worsened. His outbursts became more frequent and severe, and they were at a loss for what to do. According to them, he was both suicidal and homicidal, but there’s no evidence that they put him in therapy, got him on medication, or sought treatment of any kind.

Disappearance

By October 23, 2007, a week before Jaliek’s disappearance, the situation had reached a new low. There had been an incident at his homeschool group, where he threatened to sexually assault another child. Between this incident, Jaliek’s previous outbursts, and his growing anger issues, Stephen and Jocelyn were quickly overwhelmed.

On October 23, Stephen called a crisis hotline and reportedly asked if there was a way to reverse the adoption. The crisis worker reportedly told him that it wasn’t possible to reverse the adoption and suggested respite care instead.

As a result, Jaliek was sent to respite foster parents Elaine and Tom Person. They had fostered over 45 children by this point, and they had experience working with kids who had emotional, behavioral, and attachment disorders. They cared for him until October 31, when Stephen picked him up. However, he and Jocelyn had arranged for him to go directly to another respite placement, which would never take place.

Instead of taking him home, Stephen brought his son to a restaurant. The server would later tell the authorities that Stephen had been mean to he,r and Jaliek was quiet and ate very little.

Afterward, he brought his son to a home in Greenwich, which belonged to his parents. It’s unknown why Stephen chose to bring him there, instead of returning to the family home. It’s also unknown if Stephen’s parents were present when he and Jaliek arrived.

The events that night are largely unknown and debated to this day. Stephen put his son to bed, and all seemed well. When he woke up the next morning around 7:30, he found Jaliek’s bed empty, and the boy was nowhere to be found. A note was left behind, which said the following:

Dear everybody, I’m sorry for everything. I won’t be a bother anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek.

-The note Jaliek allegedly left behind

Jaliek also stuffed clothes and pillows under his blanket, in an apparent attempt to make it look like he was still asleep. Once he realized the boy was missing, Stephen claimed to have searched the house and property. When he was unable to find him, he called the police to report his son as missing shortly before 9 AM.

Investigation

Upon hearing about his disappearance, the authorities quickly jumped into action and launched a massive search for Jaliek, which included dive teams, K-9 units, infrared cameras, and helicopters. Several organizations participated, including the New York State Police, the local sheriff’s office, forest rangers, and various search and rescue groups. Despite their attempts, no sign of him was ever found.

After ten days with no sign of Jaliek, the authorities began to speculate that he was met with foul play, although they never ruled out the possibility of suicide or running away.

In the absence of solid leads, the authorities interviewed his adoptive parents, and they quickly became suspicious. Jocelyn took a polygraph test, but Stephen refused to do so.

Stephen also gave contradictory information about his whereabouts that night, which only fueled authorities’ suspicions. He claimed he picked Jaliek up from his respite foster placement and took him straight to his parents’ home. However, surveillance camera footage and cell phone records showed that this was not the case. According to cell phone records, Stephen made a phone call at 8:15 PM, which was received in South Troy, 30 miles south of Greenwich. The authorities tracked down the individual who called Stephen, and they told the authorities that he seemed “agitated.”

Even the note that Jaliek supposedly left was called into question. The Persons, his respite foster parents, claimed that he had written that note as a homework assignment from his father. He supposedly told his son that he needed to write a note to apologize to the people he had harmed.

Early on, Stephen and Jocelyn stopped cooperating with the authorities and put little effort into the search for their son. Both have maintained their innocence.

Later Developments and Aftermath

By January 2008, Stephen was named a person of interest. A month later, the authorities searched Stephen’s father’s home, Jaliek’s last known location. During this search, they seized a computer to see if someone used it to write the goodbye letter. Later tests would be unable to confirm or deny the theory.

Four months after Jaliek disappeared, Stephen, Jocelyn, and the remaining children moved to West Rupert, Vermont, just over the New York State/Vermont state border. They still own the home, but it’s unknown if the family has ever returned to the property.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Jaliek’s adoptive maternal grandparents, Stephen, and Jocelyn deteriorated significantly. This was due in part to the fact that his grandparents sided with the authorities and believed that his adoptive parents were responsible for his disappearance.

Barbara Reely, Jaliek’s maternal adoptive grandmother, has actively searched for him since 2007. She even filed for custody, but she was denied. In July 2008, she was charged after attempting to burglarize Stephen and Jocelyn’s home, claiming to have found the yellow fleece shirt that the boy was supposedly last seen wearing. The police later recovered the shirt and tested it, but I was unable to determine if this was the shirt Jaliek was last seen wearing.

Over the years, authorities have investigated hundreds of leads and sightings, but very few have panned out. They’ve even brought cadaver dogs to places where Stephen was last known to be on the night of Jaliek’s disappearance, as well as their home and other places the family was known to frequent. None of these resulted in new evidence.

However, there was one lead that seemed promising. A newspaper received an anonymous note claiming that Jaliek was still alive and had been picked up along Route 40. It read

Jaliek still alive. Needed a foot soldier for this war on drugs. Picked him up Rt 40 Post 30. He’s ok. No fake. He says asks his Mama and Papa. Who are the macaronni [sic] family? My cat name diamond? Why does Franti yell fire? Don’t try to look we are not there.

Note about Jaliek’s supposed whereabouts

Stephen and Jocelyn’s lawyer argued that Jaliek wrote the letter, but the authorities disagreed. To this day, it’s unknown who wrote the letter.

In 2012, the authorities announced that the investigation had switched from being a missing persons investigation to a homicide investigation. The authorities no longer believed that Jaliek had run away, and they voiced their suspicions of his adoptive parents.

In 2016, a hiker found a skull along the Hudson River. Upon further examination, it was determined that the skull belonged to a boy between the ages of 10 and 13, and it had been there for approximately 5-10 years. Although this skull fit the details of Jaliek’s disappearance, it was later determined that the skull was from a much older man, and it was later ruled out.

Since then, Jaliek’s case has gone cold, and his fate remains unknown. His adoptive grandparents and former foster parents are still working to find him, and they hold out hope that he’ll come home. Jaliek Rainwalker remains missing as of this writing.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker is tragic, heartbreaking, and confusing. A young man who had a rough start in life finally caught a break when he was adopted. At first glance, this new family seemed like the perfect fit. His new parents were so excited to add him to their family. They had already adopted a daughter, and there were three other biological sons in the home as well. It seemed like his adoptive parents were better equipped than most to care for him.

And yet, it seemed like things fell apart almost as quickly as they came together. Jaliek’s adoptive parents soon became overwhelmed by his outbursts. And just when things seemed to reach their breaking point, he disappeared.

From all accounts, Jaliek was dealt a difficult hand in life. He was exposed to alcohol and cocaine before birth, dealt with a variety of developmental and emotional conditions, and was placed in foster care. He also lived in seven different homes by his seventh birthday. As a result of this instability, he had very few opportunities to develop healthy attachments to caregivers.

While I don’t blame any of his former foster families for admitting they were in over their heads, my heart breaks for Jaliek. While many see him as angry and violent, I can’t help but notice the fear and sadness that were likely buried below the surface. At the end of the day, he was a little boy who endured prenatal drug/alcohol exposure, his birth mother relinquishing him to the foster care system, and a lack of consistent caregivers. He deserved the world. Unfortunately, the system failed him.

When it comes to this case, there aren’t many theories. The main ones are:

1. Jaliek ran away/died by suicide.
2. Jaliek’s adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, is responsible for his son’s disappearance.

Let’s address these theories one by one.

First, we have the theory that Jaliek either ran away or died by suicide. At first glance, either of these theories seems possible. On the night of his disappearance, Jaliek’s life wasn’t going great. According to his adoptive parents, his anger was out of control, to the point where Stephen called a crisis hotline, asking how to reverse the adoption. He had picked up his son from one respite placement and planned to take him to another one the following morning.

If Jaliek was unhappy about this, I can imagine him running away. The only problem is that the police searched the area soon after Stephen reported him missing, and they sent out information about the boy to the local community. Everyone in the area knew to keep an eye out for him, but there were never any sightings of him. Considering he was a 12-year-old with developmental and emotional conditions, I find it hard to believe that he got so far away that no one has ever found him. I just don’t believe that he had the resources and the mental capacity to drop off the grid for nearly 20 years.

Along a similar vein, some have argued that he could’ve run away and died by suicide. But again, there were a lot of thorough searches, and no one has ever found a trace of him. If he died by suicide, why wasn’t his body recovered? People who are suicidal usually don’t worry about whether or not their bodies will be found. Again, we’re talking about a 12-year-old with developmental and emotional conditions. I don’t think he would have had the mental capacity to kill himself in such a way that no trace has ever been found.

This leads us to our second theory, that Stephen Kerr was responsible for his son’s disappearance. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was the case. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, children with disabilities are roughly three times more likely to experience abuse or neglect, compared to children without disabilities. Organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also stated that certain disorders can leave children more vulnerable to abuse, such as ADHD or other conduct/behavioral disorders. This is because parents and caregivers can hit the child out of frustration when they’re misbehaving.

We know that both Stephen and Jocelyn were frustrated with their son’s increasingly violent behavior, and it didn’t seem like they had much support. They didn’t have him in therapy or put him on medication, and I didn’t find any information about them seeking out respite care. Between the lack of support and Jaliek’s escalating behavior, it’s possible that one of them got so frustrated that they killed him accidentally. Things like chronic stress and sleep deprivation can push you to your limit.

On the night Jaliek disappeared, he was staying with Stephen at his parents’ house. As far as we’re aware, they were the only two people present. While Stephen has never been charged with Jaliek’s disappearance, his behavior in the days and weeks afterward is concerning. For example, why did he claim he took his son directly to his parents’ home, especially since cell phone records and surveillance camera footage showed otherwise? And why did he wait an hour and a half to report his son missing?

There’s a lot we don’t know about that night, or even the days and weeks leading up to his disappearance. Without this information, we can only speculate about what happened.

I believe that something happened between Jaliek and Stephen that night. Perhaps Jaliek had another outburst and Stephen, at the end of his rope, lashed out at his son out of frustration and ended up accidentally killing him. Upon realizing what he had done, he could’ve panicked because he didn’t want to lose his other kids. He would’ve had all night to dispose of his son’s body, clean the house, and stage it to make it look like he ran away.

This is all speculation on my part. There simply isn’t enough evidence, and no one has ever been charged. Whatever happened, I dearly hope the truth is revealed soon.

Jaliek Rainwalker had a rough start in life. Just when things were looking up for him, he vanished without a trace under mysterious circumstances. Underneath his angry outbursts was an intelligent, kind boy who never got a fair chance at life. Although his case is debated to this day, one thing stands out in a sea of uncertainty: he deserves to be found, and he deserves justice. May he receive both soon.

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If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker, there are several news articles and podcasts. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

• The Charley Project
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• News 10
• Investigation Discovery
• International Missing Persons Wiki
• Trace Evidence Podcast
• CBS 6
• Voices for Justice Podcast
• ABC News
• TPKs Stories True Crime & Other Stories

If you have any information about the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker, please contact the Greewich Village Police Department at 1-518-692-9332. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.