The Tragic Disappearance of Jaliek Rainwater: A Foster Care Nightmare

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Sierra: This is Lesbian Detectives. I'm Sierra.

Elizabeth: And I'm Elizabeth. And we are here talking about missing and unsolved murders. We are discussing cases that you have forgotten about or never even heard of. So sit back, relax, and let's start this podcast.

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Elizabeth: Jaliek Rainwater was born on August 2nd, 1995. He faced many challenges just as a newborn. His mother was an alcoholic and she was addicted to cocaine. He was born with drugs in his system. Because of his mother's addiction to drugs, she lost custody of him. He was placed into the foster care system.

Jaleik was only 12 years old when he went missing from his adoptive parents' home in Greenwich, New York. Jaleik was born into a difficult life, born with crack and cocaine addiction and entered and leaving six different foster homes before being adopted by Stephen Kerr and Jocelyn McDonald in 2002. Jaleik early abuse made him a difficult child to care for, as his parents stated he would become violent and have long temper tantrums.

His adoptive family lived in rural New York without running water or consistent electricity. Despite the hardships, Jaleik's parents described him as intelligent and happy, usually seen with a smile. However, he did not receive the treatment or medication he needed for his emotional issues. On October 23, 2007, Stephen called a crisis hotline to reverse the adoption, citing Jaleik's uncontrollable behavior.

On November 1, 2007, Jaliek went missing. Stephen claimed to have found a note from Jaliek stating, "Dear everyone, I'm sorry for everything. I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek." Stephen reported the disappearance to the police at 9 a.m., saying Jaliek ran away to join a gang or perhaps committed suicide.

Investigators listed Stephen as a person of interest due to inconsistencies in his story. Cell phone records showed Stephen took a different route home that night, contradicting his claim of being asleep. Despite extensive searches and efforts by Jaliek adoptive grandmother Barbara, no substantial evidence was found.

Barbara, deeply involved in the search for Jaliek , believed he died that night. She described her close relationship with Jaliek and shared her suspicions about Stephen's abusive behavior. The adoptive parents maintained their innocence, insisting Jaliek ran away.

In January 2008, a second letter claimed Jaliek was alive and recruited by a gang, but its authenticity was dubious. Despite police efforts, no concrete leads emerged. Jaliek case remains unsolved, with no updates to this day.

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Sierra: This was the case of Jaliek Rainwater.

Elizabeth: Join us next week for another episode. Don't forget to give us a 5-star review, download our episode, and follow us on Apple and Spotify. Hit that notification button so you won't miss an episode.

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Reference:

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/jaliek-rainwalker-lost-boy-podcast-17716315.php

https://www.facebook.com/groups/795042551292211/

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/missing/an-upstate-new-york-child-is-still-missing-with-no-arrests-in-the-case

https://missingpersonscenter.org/missing-persons-directory/missing-kids/jaliek-l-rainwalker/

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/17hsk7e/after_over_15_years_jaliek_rainwater_is_still/