Literally all the evidence points to stephen.. 1. He lied to the police 2. Wanted to get rid of Jaliek 3. Was aggressive 4. Jalieks jacket was found in his house 5. Probably made Jaliek write the letter so it looked like he ran away 6. Didn't report him missing for a decent amount of time 7. Moved away etc etc...

How did that family have the ability to foster, they didn’t even have space for him let alone their own kids. I thought foster families had to have certain things like a room of their own etc. This makes no sense poor kid. 😧

I live in Greenwich, and I can promise you that no one here has ever given up in Jaliek. My dad was part of the crew that looked through the woods near our school, and my sisters went around town putting up posters with their class. Those fliers are still posted everywhere, on restaurant bathrooms and in the grocery store. People still talk about him and how much they miss his smile. We'll never give up on finding him. No one will.

Stephen killed him in a fit of rage and frustration. He went home and told his wife who agreed to cover it up. He went out in the middle of the night to dispose of the body. When he came home he showered because he was muddy and then called the police That’s my theory. Very very sad

She made him write an apology letter.... do his chores.... WTH!?! How about turning him in to the police for child abuse and divorcing him and having ALL the children taken away from him!!!!!! What is wrong with people!?! I can't imagine with all this pressure on him now how he is probably treating the kids that are left!!! I wonder if the kids as they get older, if they will ever come forward with information about what really happened in the home!?! I hope so!!!!

The theories about Jaliek joining a gang or running away with an African American family are just laced with racism as easy answers to hard questions. He didnt run away. He didnt have the wherewithal for that. Steven Kerr killed Jaliek and put him somewhere. His life is a tragedy and he deserves peace and for his murderer to be brought to justice. Danelle, I love your channel. Please keep up the hard work and I pray Jaliek gets the justice he deserves.

The dad killed him end of story. He gives me the creeps

you'd think a notorious body dumping ground would be riddled in cctv.

I’m only 6 minutes in but HOW were that family allowed to foster him? Surely living in those sort of conditions would not enable them to foster??

That poor boy had it so rough. 😔 Stephen is #1 on my radar..

I hate to say this but... I feel like the system just gave up on him which is sad!! They probably seen him as “too difficult”!

i just wanna give the poor kid a hug :(

CPS will take a child out of a maternal/paternal home that has those circumstances. So how was the family allowed to foster Jaliek without the appropriate living situation?! Broken system that failed that poor child.

They need to hold that adoption agency accountable for putting Jaliek into those people’s care. It seems as though they wanted to give him to any family that would take him in due to his history of trauma and having outbursts. This story makes me so sad.

i live in the 518 and we ALL believe it is his foster father....we have NOT forgotten him!!!!

Who else loves and appreciates Danelles dedication to all types of cases?! Her depth of content, attention to detail and true empathy are second to none in this genre. Danelle thank you for all you do and wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and happy holidays ❤️

What a beautiful young man. This is so sad. I wanna give birth, but i also want to adopt in The future. There is so many children out there in The wrong situation. Im adopted myself too

Can’t he at least be charged with providing false information in an investigation?

I think it says a lot about Jaliek that even though his past foster families could not keep him that they all came together to try and help find him and still want answers to what happened. He might have been troubled but them being so eager and wanting to help to me says that despite all of his special needs he was at his core a loving child who was capable of giving and showing love and kindness to those around him. I have seen a video on this case before and to me, it's obvious what happened and who did it and I hate that he is just getting away with it.

Hey Danelle, So I'm only 3 minutes into this video, and you are talking about RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder). As someone who was adopted and has suffered with and will suffer with it the rest of my life, this is close to my heart. I do want to clarify that we are in fact able to make bonds, but it is much harder. When I was younger, I repeatedly pushed my adoptive parents away (emotionally and physically), and then when they would leave me alone to cool down, I would feel abandoned. It was a very vicious cycle, but now over a decade later I am extremely close with them. To this day I leave people before I'm the one getting left and even do stupid minute things like liking texts instead of replying so I don't feel bad if they don't respond. To make a long story short though, YES! We are able to form bonds and attachment. It just takes much more time than it would for someone who does not have RAD. Just thought I would clear that up! EDIT: I also wanted to add that it is not necessarily like we are blank when we ask for attention and get it, for me at least I didn't believe it was genuine so that's why I got angry (like you were talking about him in the video). And a disclaimer that this is just my story and what I know from others that have RAD. Also, if you or anybody else wants to leave a comment I can answer questions about my story and hopefully it could help you guys understand RAD and this case better.

Only 5 minutes in and trying to cry. This poor boy. This CHILD had no idea what love was or how to comprehend and deal with it... and no one could handle that??? This hurts my heart so much

I’ve got nothing but respect for the grandmother Barbara.

1. He should never have been placed in a home with other children. That wasn't safe for those children, and definitely not beneficial for him. 2. They didn't have enough room for him to have his own room. 3. They didn't even have running water, and they used an outhouse. 4. If a family wants to "undo" an adoption, which is absolutely terrible, why would that family be basically forced to keep the child? There was so much wrong with this situation... It's obvious that the agency just wanted to dump him somewhere... I have an 8 year old stepdaughter and a 5 year old daughter. We're in the process of doing 'adopt only' through foster care. We haven't been matched yet, but we want a boy (or boys) between the ages of 5 and 10. We started the process in early June, and got our certification on Sept. 23rd or 24th. We had to take classes, have a home study (individual interviews and a joint interview), and have a safety inspection. We had our first quarterly safety inspection recently. You have those until a child is placed with you - then it's weekly for a month, changes to monthly, and then changes to quarterly. We also had to provide paperwork, including our birth certificates, fingerprint cards, and driving records. It's not something to be taken lightly.

Random thought... how was this family able to adopt him, let alone foster him, if they didn’t have essential resources like running water or electricity? I’m adopted and my mom went through many home inspections to make sure that we were put in good hands.

Does anyone think that some of these foster families just do it for the money? I don’t know a lot about the system admittedly but I know they get a stipend from the state or county. If they weren’t getting him proper care and medication then what were they spending that money on?!

A few months ago, when I got into the true crime part of KZfaq, I couldn't understand why people like to watch a video about a case they already knew about, but now I totally get it. It's about different perspectives and opinions every KZfaqr has. I love how Danelle presents every case. Very sensitive regarding the victim and family, yet very professional. Keep up the good work, Danelle. And happy holidays! 💕

I'm no social worker and I know foster homes are few and far between, but it seems like to me that a child that has suffered like this and has these kinds of emotional problems he should have been placed in a home with no other children so the focus could be on him! Children can be cruel and that spat back and forth in any situation, so why even put him in a situation where it could possibly cause more of these outburst!?! I'm still barely into the video and there are already this many problems, none of them being the childs fault! Thus far he has been failed by everyone!!!!

I've seen his story before 😔 it's so sad, heartbreaking he's such a beautiful young boy

Bruh...Stephen and that damn family disgusts me. I don’t even know what else to say. That poor boy 🙏🏽💔 I respect Barb for doing what I woulda done and take matters in my own hands

Yall know full well it was Stephen... He took him to that house to kill him. Period.

Being a Registered behavioral technician who works with autsitic and special needs kids, this really breaks my heart. This is what happens when it’s ignored and shunned. He deserved so much better than that.

I don't trust steven..A complete no -one thinking he's all that:He's a creep & he Killed that little lad he didn't want him & exerted his so called manly power by getting rid of him..RIP little Man they can't harm you now💛

I've waited a whole week! Edit: I'm 100% convinced that Steven brutalized him to death. How else would he just not care about the investigation and not offer his aid. Not to mention all the LIES!!!! Poor little guy. I hope this case gets solved soon.

The fact they assumed he ended in a gang!? Wtf!? Bc he’s black!? He’s special needs bro! That shit aggravated me so much.... I am so taken back... that’s that shit...

this case really breaks my heart. i covered it for a video and i almost had to give up halfway through the research because it was so hard to deal with. it just seems like he was failed so many times in so many ways. his adoptive grandparents still really fight for him and their love for him is truly amazing. knowing that he has them in his corner fighting for justice for him is really the only thing that enables me to sleep at night after hearing the whole story.

This case disgusts me. These were not fit parents for this little boy. The foster system failed this child.

George Bell was an angel on Earth. Stephen Kerr is very much the opposite. In my life, I have had experiences with children that have RAD. Reactive attachment disorder is hard to deal with but if you can't deal with it, don't foster or adopt children that suffer from it. Jaliek was let down by his bio mother and then by his foster family. I don't even understand how they could be foster parents while living fairly primitive. I find it very suspicious about the 'homework assignment' he was given. It's just too convenient. My stepson has been 15 minutes late coming home a few times and I don't decide to take a shower and run errands, I am out there knocking on my neighbors doors, making phone calls to his friends and also the police. our local police officers have said that they would rather be called out and the child wander up while they're looking for him, rather than lose valuable time. I feel so bad for Jaliek. I honestly feel like he might not be with us anymore. I feel like he met a horrible death at the hands of someone he trusted which has got to be miserable knowing that someone that you put your faith in is causing your life to end.

Such a sad case. Unfortunately I believe foul play was involved. I hope I am wrong but that's what my gut tells me. Life is so unfair sometimes. He did nothing to deserve that life.

Chief Bell also unfortunately passed this year, but he was still praying for this boy every day. He made sure everyone remembered him.

Steven had a week without Jaleek to plan the murder. I think this was premeditated. My heart goes out to Jaleek. He didn't ask to be born addicted to cocaine and not being able to attach to anyone. Then to be abused and murdered by Steven is so disheartening!

I try so hard not to judge in these cases, but that first interview with Stephen Kerr, he was 100% on some sort of drug and lying the whole way through. The pauses to "find the right words", the shifty eye contact, the almost whisper voice. He's shady AF, then the angry outbursts, punishments. It all leads me to believe he is guilty of something and is a sociopath. I'd love for someone like Kati Morton or my favourite Emma Kenny (famous UK Forensic Psychologist) to actually look into those interviews and give a professional opinion on the person. I'm so sad the police chief passed before he managed to crack the case, but I'm sure his team will continue to work tirelessly to try and find out what happened to Jaliek. Danelle you work so hard, I understand people want the case they emailed about to be looked at, but they also need to remember that on top of you doing all that tiring and VERY EMOTIONAL research, you are also a wife, mother of two, preparing now for Christmas, have family and friends of your own, pets and a house to run. You are way too kind for your own good, patience is a virtue as they say.

This poor baby. His foster family's alleged theories are borderline racist, I can only imagine what his life was like all his life. He died before he could ever truly experience life

This is so sad. This young man needed unconditional love. He needed help and needed a parent that he knew was gonna be there through the good and bad times. I have a nephew he is 28 now. I helped his mom take care of him when he was young. He had ADHD and many behavior problems. I never gave up on him or let him see me cry. Trust me I did. I had to go to the bathroom on bad days and just let it all out. One day when it was just me and him. He ran out the door into the road I went running after him he came back to the house before I could get back he had so much energy and locked me out. I was outside banging on the door for almost an hour. He would threaten to harm me etc. I never laid a hand in anger on him. I reassured him I loved him even though I didn't like his behavior and explained what he did that I didn't like. Now he is grown and he loves me as a sister. He knows still if he needs me all he needs to do is call. He went to Dr's was on medication etc but their problems are not magically cured. They need family that love them unconditionally.

How exactly did Jocelyn 'force' her abusive angry husband do the kid's chores? I don't buy that.

How an earth were they able to foster and THEN adopt him?! It sounds like the system was so desperate to get rid of him they didn't care. Absolutely heartbreaking. I am from England and I am currently waiting to adopt. The checks that are required are insane. They were so in depth and you could never have a parent and adoptive child of that age sleeping in the same room. I'm curious, does the process in the USA differ from the UK? Fab video again Danelle. Thanks for uploading 😊

As a treatment foster care parent this case makes me so sad.

Jaliek’s story is heartbreaking 💔 I don’t understand why this couple was even considered to adopt any child, much less a child with special needs 😔 They didn’t even have a “safe” home for the kids they already had !!! I pray Jaliek is still alive & safe 🙏 & will get a message to someone, being that he’s older & aware that there are people who truly care 😢 God Bless You Danelle, for your compassion & your beautiful heart in each & every case 🙏❤️ May the good Lord continue to bless your journey on bringing the Missing home ❤️ Merry Christmas 🎄 to you & your precious family 🌟🙏

With those kinds of conditions WHY THE HELL WERE THEY ALLOWED TO FOSTER CHILDREN IN GENERAL?

I am from Albany, born and raised. I still live here. I remember when Jaliek first went missing, his pictures were plastered literally EVERYWHERE, for years. I haven't seen a local photo of him put up anywhere in years. Nobody here believes he ran away. Almost everyone side eyes the foster parents. Looks like the city gave up on this case. smh.

wow. i can’t even stomach this boy’s story. i just wish i could hug him & tell him everything will be ok. no one deserves such a tough life.

When you said the family tried to dissolve the adoption and could not, it got my mind spinning. I think the adoptive dad, from that point, starting thinking of ways to limit the families time with Jaliek. They sent him to a respite home and had some more trouble at home afterwards, once again (for a valid reason). Maybe the adoptive dad decided to get rid of Jaliek permanently 😰😰😰 maybe Jaliek even found out that the family tried to dissolve the adoption... just a theory. This whole situation is sickening 😡

Years ago I worked at a camp that had a special session for foster kids. It was a rough week for all of us counselors. Felt so bad for those kids, a lot of them were in inadequate foster homes and were not given treatment such as counseling and medication for their special needs. Some were sexually abused, it was just really heartbreaking. Most acted out but you knew it was not their fault they had been through a lot and were not given proper counseling to deal with those things.

i have only watched 5 minutes of this but it had really pulled at my heart. when i was 8, we had a foster child. He look almost identical to Jaliek. He also need anger management. We fostered a lot of children but Isaiah (our foster child) was like the older brother that i never had. He made we a christmas ornament almost 8 years ago and i still place it on the tree first. love this case💓

The phrase "foot soldier for the war on drugs" doesn't make any sense to me...why would a gang be participating in the war on drugs? Seems like something someone would mistakenly say when faking a letter...

The family’s suppositions about how Jaliek ended up displays their prejudices and thoughts about him as a whole.

Amber Loves Mystery did this case a while back and since then it’s always been one that I hoped would be solved and that he’d be found HAPPY and SAFE. The fact that they wanted to reverse his adoption is a major red flag. You don’t return a child because it gets difficult. It’s disgusting. The adoptive grandparents are amazing for standing up for him and fighting for the truth. Great video as always! I I hope this has a happy ending.

What a horrible story. However, I am pleased to hear that at least the police took this seriously and that his maternal adoptive grandmother took it to any lengths to find out what happened to him. I felt like it would have been easy for Jaliek to have been forgotten. Omg just got to the part about George Bell, it seems like it's been a while I've heard about a police chief with such passion, brings tears to my eyes. On another note, unbelievable that these people were able to adopt and there are plenty of deserving families who are denied. Also thanks Danelle for your great work! I just found your channel and you are AMAZING.

I’m curious how a household with no running water or electricity or bedrooms got approved for foster care

How in the hell was a family of 7 in a one-room cabin with no electricity and no running water approved as a foster home? Their “home” sounds like the kind of place children should be being rescued from, not placed in.

I find it highly unlikely that it's anyone other than Stephen. He's guilty AF.

I think they felt helpless because they were forced to keep the boy. I suspect Steven did something.

Steven did it. Jocelyns just as bad for letting jaliek go with him, knowing how badly he treated all 3 of their kids! They wanted to reverse the adoption, because they couldn't handle it. He goes missing the same time he's being put into rest bit?? Wtf this pisses me off 😠 this boy deserves justice, lock him up!

Thanks so much for bringing awareness on these missing people. It’s a beautiful thing that you do. Other KZfaqrs don’t cover these little-known cases.

Totally listened to you the whole time but kept staring at the "MISS NG" with the missing I. The irony.

I honestly believe the adoptive family knows more than they are saying... This case really broke my heart. I hope this little boy gets justice.

I still stand behind.... if you have nothing to hide you will cooperate in every way possible!...Bless you Jaliek, I hope you didn't suffer but I hope Stephen gets what is coming to him.

makes me so sad to hear about all the people missing especially around the holidays, i can't imagine someone i love not being around in a time that's supposed to be happy and festive

Precious Jaliek. I’m so sorry that the people who made the choice to call you their son didn’t protect you or treat you like a son.😞 The biggest problem with foster families is that many (not all!) of them only do it for the money. It isn’t much money, but there are plenty of people who will do anything to avoid going to work. Please know that I absolutely do not believe that every foster family is like that. My brother and his wife can’t get pregnant and they chose to do foster to adopt. They are about to adopt their third baby and they are absolutely wonderful parents!

Not only does justice need to be served on the person (stephen) that did this, but they should find the mom and throw her in prison too for ruining his life! He wouldn't have been in this situation if she hadn't used while she carried him!!!!

I believe without a shadow of a doubt Stephen murdered Jaliek. The system continuously fail these children. Why would they give a boy with special needs to a family that has a father that suffers from anger and emotional issues? The letter from Westchester I believe was to throw the case off and cause confusion. They did that to make it appear he got involved in something.

I believe Stephen hurt him .... :(

I’m disabled and single but I’m a good mother, my children and I did good. And yet... I’m not eligible to foster even through I can give a child love and stability and meet every need except for the need for a father 😢 When I hear about bad parents being approved it kills me

I live in upstate ny, only about 20 minutes away from Greenwich, and I remember this case being on the news constantly for a long time. The local stations still run stories around the anniversary of his disappearance.

Out of all the families of missing children .. I think this family is literally the second family I’ve heard of that’s moved away, foolishly in my opinion, and I can never understand why. I would stay put until the day I died.

Stephen is so creepy and gives me an awful feeling. Stories about foster children being hurt/killed is so devastating. This poor child was never given a chance and his life began and ended terribly. Jaliek deserved a loving and patient permanent family, instead of being tossed around house to house like an object. That foster family is evil and killed Jaliek, end of story.

This poor kid never stood a chance. I wonder what their biological kids remember from this time. Someone knows something, please come forward.

Stephen killed him. We all know that. 2 seconds of looking at his face screams “ creepy “

I grew up in the same hometown Jaliek was in, Greenwich NY. I remember as a kid seeing his missing posters in the town deli and supermarkets years after his disappearance. It’s crazy how in such a small town something like this could happen. We still get together and remember Jaliek in hopes that someday this case will be closed.

With all the new missing person cases open right now, I keep coming back to this case. This was huge if you were from the capital region. I was only 9 when this happened and this is the one case I keep wondering about. I never knew about the adoptive family's living conditions and wonder how they were even allowed to have foster children.

Steven is a monster he killed this boy damn

It makes me physically ill that those horrific foster "parents" aren't rotting in prison like they deserve to be. I just know they did something.

How was that home approved as a foster home? I was a foster kid and there were all kinds of rules on how many kids could be in one room and the ages of said children. Also, adults sleeping in rooms with children who are not theirs biologically would never be approved. This whole situation is heartbreaking. So many people failed this poor boy.

Well clearly they ain't calling to ask what is going on with the case because they already know and Stephen killed him. Poor poor boy that was tragically failed by so many people...

The way Stephen talks creeps me out. I had to fast forward that part, I’m home alone and it just gave me the creeps. I feel so bad for that poor boy. I hope justice is served soon

Even before you developed all the weird circumstances of this case, when i heard the foster father Stephen talking for the first time, i felt that he was a really bad man and abusive. Hope Justice will be served.

The home was uninhabitable. Landlords cant even legally RENT to people under those circumstances. I cant imagine how these children were able to be in this home.

So what happened with the fleece sweatshirt?! This seems like a HUGE piece of evidence!

I am just seeing this for the first time. I was one of his KCare teachers, a before and after school care program housed in the school where he went to Kindergarten. Let me share a few things: In the years he was in our programs he NEVER had one of these so called tantrums. He felt comfortable and loved with us, very affectionate and smiled often. He was always hesitant to go home, but would go without conflict. The family that fostered him at that point was well aware of his issues when they got him. They agreed this would be his last home and wanted to work on his anxiety issues with him. They had two spoiled girls already who daily reminded him he was not a member of the family, just a way for the family to make extra cash. The family NEVER took him on special things like trips to the fair or when the family went to Disney, and those nasty girls teased him about that daily. The parents quickly showed their true colors, even at pickup they refuse his hugs and told him to stop talking in front of me when he wanted to share about his day. As he entered 1st grade things continued to spiral downward. The family continued to exclude him from their life. One day my father in law, an Olympic gold medalist came to speak to the after school group. Jay had wet himself at the end of the school day so we immediately called the parents to bring him new clothes. The mom said she was at the mall across the street and would be right over. She finally arrived 2 hrs later. Jay had to sit away from the other children and couldn't participate in the talk. My father in law walked over and spoke to him and was instantly charmed by his warm smile and kind manner. He was the only child allowed to touch the medal and torch he carried years later in Atlanta. He was so excited to share this with his mother, but all she could say to him was shut up, get into the car. It was soon after that they gave him back as he didn't fit in their family. I never felt so heartbroken for a child. I have no idea why the last family got him, but once again it was probably a case of one of the adults worked for the state and they allowed it. No electricity, no running water and then the disapearence. I just hope he is flying with the angels and the pain of this world is gone

This story breaks my heart. Jaliek reminds me of my little brother who was adopted. He came into our family when he was very young which I believe was his saving grace. He too suffered from cocaine withdrawl and continues to suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome. He's 15 now. My mom was told he would never walk, talk, form bonds and would be nothing but a burden. After years of therapy, hard work, and a lot of love, he's literally the opposite of all of the issues they said to expect. He is (high functioning) special needs, but he is loving, makes friends with everyone he meets. He sings in his school's choir. He loves to act. Yeah, he'll be in high school until he's 20 and he really don't know what his future holds, but we do know that in a different situation, it probably wouldn't be nearly as bright as is it now. Foster care is not for everyone and it's hard for the folks who seem like they were made for it. People with anger issues should never even consider it.

I wish there was a button to say I hate what happened to this person but I love that you are keeping us informed.

This is insane to me. I’m a case manager in therapeutic foster care and this home meets none of the safety or therapeutic requirements to even be a foster home. He should have never been there and someone didn’t do their job 😔

Who the hell approved a family of 7 living in a 2 room house with no bathroom to be able to foster kids??

I am so incredibly confused how they were cleared to be a foster/adoptive family! Do they not do welfare checks or inspect the property?! 🤨🤯

My heart breaks for Jaliek. I think Steven most likely killed Jaliek during a tantrum and threw his body in the river.

Having worked with Therapeutic Foster Care in the past, I can't imagine how that family possibly got a foster care license in the first place. The cabin alone should not have passed inspection.

This story is absoloutely painful and devastating beyond words

Stephen is super suss. He keeps looking down to his left which is a sign of lying. I don’t trust him one bit

Poor kid this case made me cry he had it sooo rough and I’m here in a great home and I complain 💔😭

Since the family moved out of the cabin, demolish the cabin or check the Hudson River since they're looking for remains now.

No need to inquire about this poor boy seeing that they know what happened to him. Sad sad case