Missing Boy: Jaliek Rainwalker--NY--11/01/2007

[Denise]

Police Search Home of Jaliek Rainwalker's Grandparents in Greenwich

  Reported by: Jeff Saperstone
Email: jeffsaperstone@fox23news.com
Videographer: C. Famelette
Last Update: 10:14 pm 

Police in Greenwich got a search warrant to go into the home on Hill Street in the town, and they came out with a sizable amount of evidence.

Investigators carry out boxes and bags filled with items from inside the Greenwich home of Stephen Kerr's parents. Kerr is 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker's adoptive father, who has been labled a person of interest in connection with the disappearance of the boy. The home at 11 Hill Street is the one where Kerr and Jaliek stayed the night before the 12-year-old vanished back in early November.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief said, "We came up with some new information over this past week concerning Jaliek's disappearance which was enough to establish a search warrant on this residence."

State Police, the FBI and Greenwich Police spent about 3 and a half hours inside this home collecting all sorts of evidence. Chief George Bell says they did a room by room search but refused to go into specifics on what they took out.

Chief Bell said, "Did the letters to the media have anything to do with this search? It's all part of this investigation, I don't want to be specific whether it was letters or whatever."

Those typed letters with a Westchester, New York post mark were sent to all local media, including FOX23 News. An annoymous author stated Jaliek is alive.

Meanwhile in Troy, State Police spent the better part of the day scanning the bottom of the Hudson River near the marina. The marina and farmer's market is a spot where police tell us Kerr may have come with Jaliek on November 1st.

Jaliek's Grandmother Barbara Reeley said, "This is my hometown basically and to feel like now they're searching for my grandchild right here is much more emotional than when I started out from home this morning. It was just very hard."

That river search turned up nothing.

As for the search of the home, the Chief tells FOX23 News they're no closer to an arrest. He says details on what they found could come out soon. We tried reaching Stephen Kerr for comment but he did not return our calls.
 

[Linda]

http://capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/110186/search-for-jaliek-moves-to-the-hudson/Default.aspx

Search for Jaliek moves to the Hudson

02/07/2008

TROY, N.Y. - State police dive teams braved the frigid Hudson River near Troy Thursday in their search for Jaliek Rainwalker. Police said new leads suggest the 12-year-old's adoptive father Stephen Kerr may have been in this area the night Jaliek was last seen.

Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said, "We don't believe that Stephen was entirely truthful about his route home on November 1st from Latham back to Greenwich. "

Early on, the FBI flew helicopters over the Hudson from New York City up to the Capital Region in their search, but most of the focus had been on Washington County. Now that the focus is shifting, and Troy's police captain has some strong words for Kerr.

Captain John Cooney said, "The river as we've come to know it in Troy is a very dangerous place, and for them to be out there for as long as they have is just such a strong message not only to the public but also to Stephen Kerr that this investigation will continue at all costs."

Search for Jaliek heads to the Hudson
The search for missing 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker moves into the Capital Region, as state police dive teams use sonar to search the Hudson River in Troy. Police said they have new reason to believe that Jaliek's father Stephen Kerr may have been in that area the night Jaliek was last seen. Our Jessica Mokhiber has the latest.
   
Costs which involve law enforcement on many levels and the use of specially trained divers to comb the river with new equipment.

Police said that new sonar technology was recently donated to them and it was also used in the search for missing college student Joshua Szostak. They said its specific purpose is to scan the bottom of the river.

Cooney said, "The sonar is working very well based on what they've told us."

And as police do their job, several people, including Jaliek's grandparents and former foster families, came out to just watch and wait.

Reverend Tim Sherman said, "I couldn't get it out of my head and I couldn't get it off my heart. I lost sleep over it and said to myself, I did not know Jaliek, but now I feel like I've know Jaliek forever."

As for police, they said they're continuing to follow leads and that they don't want to rest until they can put an end to this investigation.

[Denise]

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=662095&category=REGION&newsdate=2/8/2008

Focus falls on Jaliek's family
House of adoptive grandfather searched; divers find no clues 
 
By DAN HIGGINS, Staff writer
First published: Friday, February 8, 2008
 
GREENWICH -- Police executed a search warrant Thursday at the home of Jaliek Rainwalker's adoptive grandfather in the ongoing hunt for the missing 12-year-old.
   
The warrant was the first in the three-month investigation.

Several items were seized from the home at 11 Hill St. in Greenwich, the house where Rainwalker was staying with his adoptive father when he disappeared the night of Nov. 1.

Greenwich-Cambridge Police Chief George Bell declined to say what evidence was confiscated.

Bell said Rainwalker's adoptive parents, Stephen Kerr and Joceyln McDonald, were present when police arrived.

Also Thursday, State Police divers entered the Hudson River near the Troy Farmers Market looking for human remains or other clues, but found nothing, police said. Investigators launched boats at about 8 a.m. and used a sonar device in the search.

Bell said it wasn't clear late Thursday whether police would try again today.

Police chose the Troy site because they doubted Kerr's version of events on the last night anyone was known to have seen Rainwalker. Kerr has said he picked his son up from a respite care stay with Elaine and Tom Person of Altamont, drove him to dinner at a Red Robin restaurant in Latham and then went to Kerr's father's empty home in Greenwich, where they stayed the night.

Police believe Kerr may have stopped in Troy before going to Greenwich. Kerr, McDonald and their five children, including Rainwalker, frequently sold eggs at the Troy Farmers Market and were familiar with the area, police said.

Several family members and former caregivers to Rainwalker watched police search. Tom Person said he has faith in the police.

"It's good there is always something going on," Person said. "My biggest fear is that this (story) will die out and be forgotten."

Kerr and McDonald were trying to undo their adoption of Rainwalker at the time of his disappearance. The emotionally troubled youth apparently threatened a child in their home-school group in October, which was the last straw, family and police have said.

[Denise]

http://capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/110392/police-analyze-evidence-taken-from-kerr-home/Default.aspx

Police analyze evidence taken from Kerr home

02/11/2008 04:06 PM
By: Web Staff

 GREENWICH, N.Y. -- Police continue to investigate the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker, who has been missing for more than three months now.

Last week, Greenwich police and the FBI executed a search warrant at a home Jaliek's adoptive parents have been staying at and took out boxes of evidence.

Police continue to investigate the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker, who has been missing for more than three months now.
 
Police won't yet confirm exactly what they took from the house, but they do say that items are being analyzed and tested at the state police crime labs. They said they hope to have test results sometime this week.

Jaliek's adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, has been named a person of interest in the case. Kerr was the last known person to see Jaliek.

The home that was searched belongs to Graham Kerr, Stephen's father.

[Denise]

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/ci_8237493?source=rss_viewed

N.Y. police search Rainwalker home

ANDY McKEEVER, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/12/2008 03:17:53 AM EST
Tuesday, February 12

GREENWICH, N.Y. — After searching the former home of Jaliek Rainwalker's adoptive parents, Stephen Kerr and Joselyn McDonald, police are now waiting for FBI and New York State Police forensics results to determine the next step.

According to Greewich/Greenwich Police Chief George Bell, police received a search warrant for the 11 Hill St. home on Thursday and seized items related to the disappearance of the 12-year-old Rainwalker, who has been missing since Nov. 1. Kerr is named a person of interest after police found inconsistencies in his story and refused to take a voluntary polygraph.

Items seized

The Albany Times Union reported a computer was one of the items seized but Bell would not comment. The evidence was then transported to New York State Police and FBI crime labs for testing, said Bell.

"I haven't heard back from them yet, but I would hope this week," said Bell. "A lot of what we do in the next week will be based on the forensics."

The FBI is also investigating a mysterious letter that was sent to a variety of news sources stating that Rainwalker was still alive. The letter was said to be written by Rainwalker but police have doubts.

Bell also expects more information about the letter will be available this week.
"Certainly, I have my doubts of the authenticity of the letter," said Bell. "The letter could have been written by a family member. I have a hard time believing it came from the mouth of a 12-year-old."

Also on Thursday, police searched a two-block area along the Hudson River after information was received that Kerr may have been there the night he brought Rainwalker back to the Hill Street home from an Altamont respite home the night he disappeared. The search revealed no evidence.

"Based on our investigation, Stephen was not entirely truthful about his trip home," said Bell. "Stephen and Joselyn are still being uncooperative."

Bell said that police have yet to gain access to a gold Chrysler Town and Country minivan Kerr used to transport Rainwalker. The van was previously searched but a security video later showed a similar one in a location that did not match Kerr's story. Police then asked for information regarding any sighting of the van, and Kerr's lawyer refused a police request to search it again.

Kerr previously said that he believes Rainwalker ran away and is living in Albany with another family or a gang.

What once was a countywide search involving over 100 people has since been reduced to a half dozen investigators, according to Bell. There are no current searches scheduled.

[Denise]

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=664338&category=REGION&newsdate=2/16/2008

Police face suit in Jaliek probe
Adoptive parents claim false imprisonment; improper search  
 
By JIMMY VIELKIND, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, February 16, 2008
 
GREENWICH -- The adoptive parents of missing 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker filed notice Friday that they will sue the Cambridge-Greenwich Police Department, claiming officers have "crusaded" against them during their investigation and acted improperly when serving a search warrant on their home last week.
   
According to Tucker Stanclift, an attorney representing Stephen Kerr and Jocelyn McDonald, a notice of claim was filed by mail seeking civil damages from the village of Greenwich, its police department and Chief George Bell. The notice claims authorities trespassed on the Hill Street home of Kerr's father Graham while executing a search warrant there Feb. 7.

Kerr and McDonald were falsely imprisoned, and during that time officers "refused to allow Kerr and his wife to freely move about their own home, without a warrant," which arrived an hour after investigators arrived, Stanclift said.

The notice says that abuse of process constituted the "intentional infliction of emotional distress," Stanclift said. A specific amount of damages sought will not arise until the actual lawsuit is filed.

"Jaliek is missing, and the cowboy attitude of this investigation has led to a single, narrow-minded focus," the attorney said. "It's a crusade to try my clients in the press."

Rainwalker has been missing since Nov. 1, and was last seen with his adoptive father in the Hill Street home. Kerr, 37, was named a "person of interest" in the disappearance.

Kerr has said he believes Rainwalker, who is biracial, is alive and perhaps living with a gang or an African-American family in Albany or Troy.

Bell could not immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit. Assistant Chief Harold Spiezio said "all of our protocols and all of our laws were followed in executing that search warrant."

During the Feb. 7 search, investigators seized a computer and printer, which they are examining for links to an anonymous note sent to several media outlets saying Rainwalker was alive.

[Linda]

http://capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/110852/pd--chief--village-receive-notice-of-claim-from-jaliek-s-parents/Default.aspx

PD, chief, village receive notice of claim from Jaliek's parents

02/20/2008

GREENWICH, N.Y. - The Greenwich Police Department, Chief George Bell, and the village received a notice of claim Tuesday morning -- a precursor to a lawsuit -- after Jaliek Rainwalker's adoptive parents Stephen Kerr and Jocelyn McDonald say police entered their home on February 7th without a search warrant.

Washington County DA Kevin Kortright said he does not want to discuss the case on camera, but he did say he does not believe the department acted unlawfully.

   
He made a statement saying, "I have worked with the Greenwich Police Department for many years and the officers have always acted lawfully. I have faith that the department and the chief did what they needed to do to obtain evidence without breaking the law."

Meanwhile, Chief George Bell continues to defend the actions of his department.

He said, "I believe we handled ourselves within the color of the law that day when we entered 11 Hill Street."

Bell said his officers did enter the home before the search warrant was issued, but they did not do anything illegal.

"There was no searching done until the search warrant was in our hands and signed by the judge."

Bell also said Stephen and Jocelyn were home when police got there, but they were not detained by police. Their lawyer said the couple was illegally detained the day police seized the evidence from the home.

"It's just another thing that Stephen and Jocelyn...it just shows where their intent is. It's not about finding Jaliek. It's about throwing up these smoke screens all around the case," said Bell.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey McMorris who is representing the couple said they have one year to decide whether or not to go ahead with a full fledged lawsuit. He said his clients have felt that since Day 1 police have been trying to convict Stephen Kerr of a crime, and he adds that McDonald and Kerr believe Jaliek is alive and still hope he comes home safely.

[Denise]

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S355469.shtml?cat=300

Updated at: 02/23/2008 01:07:11 AM
By: John Allen

2 events draw attention to case of missing boy  
 
GREENWICH - There were two events Friday night in Washington County to help solve the case of a missing boy. Both of these events gave people an opportunity to support Jaliek Rainwalker's extended family. Parts of that family have become increasingly divided on how best to learn what happened to the 12 year old who has been missing more than three and a half months.

Barbara Reeley sits at the Washington Square Deli in Greenwich; just a few blocks away from where her adoptive grandson Jaliek Rainwalker was reported missing by her son-in-law, Jaliek's adoptive father Stephen Kerr. That was on November 2, 2007. Kerr has since been named a person of interest in the case. Since the boy's disappearance she has become increasingly estranged from her daughter Jocelyn and her son-in-law.

Reeley says she will come to the deli every Friday afternoon and evening until there's a resolution to her grandson's disappearance. Friday, she says supporters came to take more posters of the boy. Share stories about Jaliek and if they think they have clues to his disappearance to anonymously leave them here.

"[Saturday] I'll open them up and the ones that need to go to Chief Bell will go to Chief Bell and the ones that need to go perhaps on the website, stories about Jaliek that's where they'll go," she said.

Joy Purdy was Jaliek's foster mom when the boy was 2 and 3 years old. She went to the second event to help find the missing boy. At the Methodist Church in Salem she says there was a small turnout and two people were noticeably absent.

"We didn't stay long, but we wanted to be there for Jaliek. I was disappointed that Jocelyn and Stephen weren't there. That's you know.... I'm kind of confused about that," she said.

Both women tell me they've learned that Joycelyn and Stephen are vacationing in South Carolina with their other children. Newschannel 13 also learned from Greenwich Police Chief George Bell that items taken from the home where Jaliek was reported missing, are still in the hands of State Police and the FBI. The chief says the outcome of tests on those items is expected in a little more than a week.

[Denise]

http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=7910253

Maternal Grandmother Holds Public Forum on Jaliek Efforts

Posted: Feb 22, 2008 09:43 AM CST
 
Today, the search continues for missing Washington County boy Jaliek Rainwalker. Barbara Reeley, the maternal grandmother of the 12-year-old, will meet with the public this afternoon at the Washington Square Deli in Greenwich.

Reeley says she will hand out missing person posters and flyers, and will also be available to answer any questions about her grandson.

Jaliek was last seen on November 1st. An investigation into his whereabouts has been ongoing ever since.

Reeley will be available from three o'clock this afternoon, until eight o'clock tonight.

[Denise]

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/localnews/ci_8321799

N.Y. police kept waiting in Rainwalker investigation

ANDY McKEEVER, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/21/2008 03:13:35 AM EST

GREENWICH, N.Y. — Police are still waiting for the FBI to finish forensic work on items taken from the Hill Street home of Jocelyn McDonald and Stephen Kerr, the adoptive parents of 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker, who has been missing since Nov. 1, to determine the next step.

Police seized a computer as well as other items from the home on Feb. 7, and since then Kerr and McDonald's attorney filed a claim against Greenwich-Cambridge Police Chief George Bell stating he led an unlawful search of the home. The claim is a precursor to a lawsuit against a the town of Greenwich. The attorneys are claiming that police went into the home before a warrant was issued and detained Kerr and McDonald until the warrant was officially signed.

"There is nothing new in the case other than the attorneys filing a notice of claim against me," said Bell on Tuesday. "I think it is just another ploy to distract."

Bell expected the results from New York State Police and FBI forensic studies last week but they have yet to be filed.

"You would think it is relatively easy to open a computer up and look but it's a lot more complicated than that. CSI makes it look easy," said Bell.

"We still got some stuff going on but we're mainly waiting to hear back from the forensics."

[Denise]

http://capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/111419/texas-equusearch-helping-in-search-for-jaliek/Default.aspx

Texas EquuSearch helping in search for Jaliek

02/28/2008 03:16 PM
By: Web Staff

 TEXAS -- A Texas-based search and recovery team is stepping in to help in the search for 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker.

The Greenwich boy has been missing since Nov. 1, and at this point police haven't found any clues as to what happened to him.

Jaliek's grandparents contacted Texas EquuSearch, which provides horse mounted search and recovery for lost and missing persons.

The organization has been involved in other high profile missing person cases, such as the Natalee Holloway case. She disappeared on the final night of a high school graduation trip to Aruba in May 2005.

The group said it will do what it can do assist in the search for Jaliek.

[Denise]

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/ci_8471783?source=rss_viewed

Group may assist Rainwalker search
Texas-based organization offers help

ANDY McKEEVER, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/06/2008 03:18:46 AM EST
Thursday, March 6

GREENWICH — The search for 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker, who has been missing since Nov. 1, is still on the back burner as New York State Police and FBI forensic work has yet to be completed, but police will have some help from a Texas group that specializes in finding missing persons.

According to Greenwich/Cambridge Police Chief George Bell, the founder of Texas Equusearch, a non-profit group that provides equipment and tools to find missing persons, is expected to meet with Greenwich police to discuss the case soon. "At some point they are going to come up here. They have a ton of nationalmedia contacts,"said Bell.

The search for Rainwalker stalled during the winter and investigation of Rainwalker's adoptivefather, StephenKerr, ensued.Police named Kerr a person of interest after finding fallacies in his story and last month searched his Hill Street home, taking a computer and other evidence. That evidence was taken by the FBI and New York State Police for analysis.

"I talked to state police lab today and I guess they have had their fair share of homicides," said Bell.

Police are waiting for that information before determining the next step. To keep them busy, Greenwich police are now engaged in another manhunt, this time for 42-year-old Russell Wagner, of Hill Road in Greenwich, who allegedly went on the run after he heard police were investigating him for sexual abuse.

According to Bell, Wagner was providing alcohol and gifts to his daughter and her friends and the daughter reported it because she suspected more was going on.

Once Wagner found out that police were investigating him, he allegedly left town and on Saturday his vehicle was found in an industrial park in Baltimore with a suicide note in it.

Police had an arrest warrant and a notice of his vehicle, which Baltimore County Police noticed and contacted Greenwich police, according to Bell.

After searching the area on Saturday, Bell said Wagner's cell phone was tracked being used in Virginia.

"It appears he faked his death," said Bell.

Though both Wagner and Rainwalker lived on the same street, Bell believes the two never had any contact with each other.

"I can't find anybody lately," said Bell.

[Linda]

http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=76fefd10-53f5-40de-bb85-484927201502

Body Found in Hudson River in Troy

3/22/08

A gruesome discovery -- and now a difficult investigation for police -- after a man's body is found in the Hudson River in Troy.

The body was found by a man walking his dog near the river just before 4:00 Saturday afternoon.

He then called 911 -- and fire and police units responded to the area at the end of Madison Street where it meets the river.

Crews were able to remove the decomposed body from the water -- and were able to determine that it is a man.

Investigators have ruled out that it is the body of either missing Greenwich boy Jaliek Rainwalker or missing Latham man Joshua Szostak -- but have not been able to determine more about who the victim is and how he got there.

Capt. John Cooney/Troy Police Department: “Race is absolutely undetermined at this point.  Age and other factors are very difficult to determine due to the decomposition of the body.  We do have distinctive clothing that we won't elaborate on but certainly factors are present which should help us preliminarily come up with an identity of the deceased.”

Sources tell Fox23 News that the body may have been tied down with cinder blocks, although police would not confirm that.

They will say they are looking at the possibility the body could be that of 22-year-old Shelton Grant of New York City, last seen in downtown Troy back in November.

[Denise]

http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b409b776-e0af-4301-87c5-5ca8f3e8cdf5

Police Plan Release of Surveillance Footage in Rainwalker Case

  Reported by: Paul Merrill
Email: paulmerrill@fox23news.com
Videographer: M. Jackson
Last Update: 3/21 5:24 pm 

Investigators hope the warming weather will help them find 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker. (Marc Jackson) Cambridge-Greenwich Police have been looking for 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker for nearly five months without any luck.

Now, investigators say they plan on releasing some surveillance footage to the public in the hope of generating new leads.

They believe the footage show's Rainwalker's adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, driving around Greenwich on the night the boy vanished.

Chief George Bell says, "We have a piece of video from a Glens Falls National Bank here on Main Street in Greenwich that shows a van similar to what Stephen was using the night Jaliek went missing."

On Friday morning, Bell and other officers from his department met with members of the New York State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and New York Forest Rangers to discuss the Rainwalker case.

There's still pending legal action against Chief Bell and his department for their February 7th search of Stephen Kerr's parents' home at 11 Hill Street in Greenwich.

Kerr and his attorney allege that that search was an improper one.

Chief Bell tells FOX23 News that there's a court hearing scheduled for May 1st and he's confident that a judge will throw the case out.

The items seized during that raid are still being analyzed and so are the seven letters that were mailed to the media in late January claiming that Rainwalker is still alive.

Bell says the United States Secret Service is working to try to lift fingerprints from the stamps.

The warming weather also means new hope in the search for Rainwalker.

Chief Bell tells us ground searches will start again in April.

The spring searches will rely most on volunteers. 

[Linda]

http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=d51d7c97-5fd2-462b-8d47-cbe9269a44a4

Police Share Evidence in Rainwalker Disapperance Case

3/25/08

Cambridge-Greenwich Police are sharing more evidence with the public in the case of the disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker.

The 12-year-old Washington County boy has been missing since last November.

Now, investigators are showing surveillance video footage that they say could blow a hole in the alibi of Stephen Kerr, Rainwalker's adoptive father whom police have labelled a person of interest in the boy's disappearance.

The black-and-white video comes from the Glens Falls National Bank branch on Main Street in Greenwich.






The timestamp on the footage is 12:16 a.m. on November 2nd.

Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell explains, "It shows a gold Chrysler minivan, similar to what Stephen was driving, headed west on State Route 29 or Main Street here in Greenwich."

Bell says he decided to make the video evidence public in the hopes of finding out whether or not the van in the video is the same as Kerr's father's van:  the one Kerr was driving on the night that Rainwalker vanished.

If the person driving the van in the bank surveillance video is Stephen Kerr, police say his trip west down Main Street shortly after midnight on November 2nd does not match the story he told investigators.

"He said he was in bed at 12:16 a.m.," says Bell.

Police also say they're now more confident than ever that Kerr is lying about where he was when he used his cell phone on the night that Rainwalker disappeared.

"He was definitely in South Troy," Chief Bell tells FOX23 News.  "I can't tell you exactly where but he was not on his route that he says he took when he received that phone call."

Jeffrey McMorris, Kerr's attorney, calls the video evidence ridiculous.

McMorris tells us, "It's black and white.  It's jumpy.  It's choppy.  I would think they might be able to do a little better job than that."

The Glens Falls lawyer says his clients won't allow police to take another look at the van until investigators can explain how an additional search will help find Rainwalker.

Kerr still hasn't submitted to Chief Bell's request that he take a polygraph test.

McMorris explains, "If he wanted to guarantee for us that Stephen takes the polygraph and is cleared that he'd get full immunity, then we might consider it."

FOX23 News asked McMorris from what charge or charges would Kerr want immunity.

McMorris explains that he's looking for immunity from whatever charge or charges police might try to pin on the missing boy's father.