Jaliek Rainwalker Missing Person Case

Mar 18, 2010

Jun 29, 2020

Jaliek

Rainwalker

30

12

66 inches

105 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the quiet community of Greenwich, New York, a twelve-year-old boy named Jaliek Rainwalker was last seen on November 1, 2007. A biracial child of Black and White descent, Jaliek had a slight speech impediment, pronouncing the letter 'r' as a 'w'. On the night of his disappearance, he was reportedly wearing blue jeans, a yellow fleece pull-over, and black tennis shoes. Jaliek was in the care of his adoptive father, Stephen Kerr, at Kerr's parents' vacant home on Hill Street. Kerr told authorities that he woke up the morning of November 2nd to find Jaliek gone, with a note left behind that read, "Dear everybody, I'm sorry for everything. I won't be a bother anymore. Goodbye, Jaliek." Jaliek's life before his disappearance was marked by instability. Born with an addiction to crack cocaine, he was placed in the foster care system and lived in six different homes before being adopted by Stephen Kerr and Jocelyn McDonald. His adoptive and former foster parents reported that he had violent outbursts and temper tantrums, causing his siblings to be afraid of him. The Schoen family, who had previously cared for Jaliek for four years with the intention of adopting him, decided they could no longer have him in their home after he attacked their daughter. The Kerr-McDonald family lived an unconventional lifestyle in a home with no running water and limited electricity. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Jaliek's adoptive parents were seeking to reverse his adoption, stating that he had become unmanageable. He had been in respite care just before he was last seen with his adoptive father. The investigation into Jaliek's disappearance quickly raised questions. Authorities suspected foul play and publicly named Stephen Kerr a person of interest. Discrepancies were found in Kerr's account of his movements on the night Jaliek went missing. While Kerr maintained that Jaliek ran away, investigators found that Jaliek did not take any money or personal belongings with him. Adding to the suspicion, the bright yellow fleece jacket Jaliek was reportedly wearing was later found in the house by his adoptive grandmother. Despite extensive searches, no trace of Jaliek has ever been found. His case was eventually reclassified as a probable homicide, though no charges have ever been filed. The disappearance of Jaliek Rainwalker remains an unresolved and heartbreaking mystery.

Nov 01, 2007

Greenwich

New York

Washington County

12834

26335

Greenwich Village Police Department

Greenwich

New York

Washington County

12834

Robert Danko

Sergeant

6 Academy Street, New York

5186773044

Local

Law Enforcement

GC0W0309

2007-11-01

Greenwich Village Police Department

Brown

Green

Green

09/03/2026