Jaliek Rainwalker's grandmother speaks out as search continues
One week after Greenwich police released an age-progressed photo of missing boy Jaliek Rainwalker, his adopted grandmother is making sure his image is seen all over the region, in hopes one day he will be found. Our North Country reporter Matt Hunter has the story.
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GREENWICH, N.Y. -- More than two years have passed since Barbara Reeley's adopted grandson Jaliek Rainwalker vanished; yet, she keeps looking.
"It really doesn't get any easier at all," Reeley said.
Just 12 at the time, Jaliek disappeared in November 2007.
Last Thursday, Greenwich police released an age-progressed photo, showing what Jaliek would look like today as a 14-year-old.
"It may help somebody see something or find something that they thought was insignificant that could be very, very crucial and is the missing piece to finding my grandchild," Reeley said.
After releasing the age-progressed photo last week, Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said, as expected, the department has received numerous calls from people believing they spotted Jaliek. However, after following through, all of those leads turned up empty.
Reeley has spent the last week posting those photos everywhere she can.
Meanwhile, police are still at a loss for progress. Jaliek's adopted father Stephen Kerr is viewed as a person of interest, but he's not cooperating with the investigation.
"I just wish they would forward and help search for Jaliek, but they're not and that's their choice," Reeley said. "But I just feel like one day we'll know."
With spring approaching, Bell said divers will soon begin searching the north end of the Battenkill, where it was too dangerous to search last year because of heavy rain.
In the meantime, Reeley manages to hold onto her faith.
"I have those real sad, black moments and times when I just want to pull the covers up over my head and say, I just want it to all go away and we're never going to find him," Reeley said. "But I can't dwell on that because it would break my spirit and it wouldn't help Jaliek and it wouldn't help find him."