News - One-year anniversary of disappearance

Jaliek was last seen dining at the Red Robin Restaurant with his adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, before he was reported missing the following morning. For one year police have continued to search for the area’s missing child, but unfortunately many unanswered questions still linger around Jaliek’s disappearance.

This Saturday, Nov. 1, a vigil will be held in Mowry Park from 9 p.m. through midnight as residents, family members and friends observe the one-year anniversary of Jaliek’s absence.

“We want to keep it low key, very peaceful,” said Barbara Reeley, Jaliek’s maternal grandmother, who encourages people to come dressed warmly, with lawn chairs and flashlights.

To precede the night’s vigil, a motorcade memorial procession will gather in the Hannaford parking lot in Latham Farms starting at 7 p.m. From there the procession will be joined by police escort, as they drive past the Red Robin Restaurant where Jaliek was last seen. The line of cars will then progress up Route 9, following the same route Stephen Kerr reportedly took towards 11 Hill Street in Greenwich. After a moment’s pause outside of the now deserted home where Jaliek once lived, the procession will head into Mowry Park, where 12 candles will be lit in Jaliek’s memory.

In Albany, for those who will not be able to attend the vigil in Greenwich, a service will be held by Rev. Tim Sherman in front of the Monument for Missing Persons at 7 p.m., in remembrance of Jaliek.

Jaliek’s disappearance on Nov. 1 of last year has continued to mystify local authorities, but Greenwich Chief of Police George Bell says that they continue to get leads, even “as recently as a couple weeks ago. Everything is treated very seriously.”

Over the last year Barbara Reeley has made searching for Jaliek her top priority. “Police Chief Bell and I converse regularly. He’s my main liaison, and I’ve never felt I had to go over his head for anything,” Reeley said.

She said one of the most important things that officials have stressed to her is to keep Jaliek in the media, to make sure people don’t forget. Beyond that, Reeley says she regularly searches areas of interest with groups of volunteers and law officials, but recently they have had to become quieter about where they search.

“We’ve become a little more secretive about where we’re going to be searching, so if there is anything at the site, it won’t be moved before we get there,” Reeley said.

Other measures are being taken to not only keep Jaliek’s case in the public eye, but to try and ensure that such incidents don’t happen again with other children. The Find Jaliek Task Force has recently made a push to have Jaliek’s law approved in the legislature, a law which would ensure more post-adoptive supervision is in place for children with special needs.

“I’m not a patient person,” Reeley said, “but I’d rather do something right. We want to make sure that Jaliek’s law covers the children who are vulnerable.”

If anyone believes that they have any information regarding Jaliek’s disappearance, it is asked that you please contact the Greenwich Police Department at (518) 692-9332. You can learn more about Jaliek’s case by visiting the website set up by the Find Jaliek Task Force, at

www.findjaliek.org