‘I’ll never get over losing him’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Opal Greenfield was filled with disbelief and sorrow on Tuesday as she faced the painful reality that her 11-year-old son, Desroy Smith Jr, remained missing. He had been swept away by floodwaters on Monday afternoon, and efforts to find him had so far been unsuccessful.

The tragedy occurred near the entrance of New Hope Primary and Junior High School in Whitehouse, Westmoreland, where Desroy – who has now been feared dead – fell into a drain during heavy rains and was carried out to sea.

“Who is going to hug me and kiss me and say, ‘Mommy, I love you’?” Greenfield said between sobs as she spoke with The Gleaner. “I can’t believe that he is gone … . He had so much love and kindness in him. He was a good son to me. I don’t think I will ever get over losing him.”

Greenfield, mother of five, was among scores of residents from the Whitehouse community searching the beach in an effort to locate Desroy yesterday.

Despite her distress, Greenfield nonetheless expressed much gratitude to the community for their assistance in the search effort so far.

“I am getting a lot of support from my family and friends. In fact, the community has been a source of strength to me as they are all out here in the search to find Desroy’s body,” said Greenfield.

According to reports, the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Monday following a heavy downpour. Desroy, who is believed to have had a hearing impairment and was described as physically frail, was leaving the school when he accidentally slipped into the drain. The swift current quickly carried him away, and despite immediate alerts from bystanders, there was no sign of him by the time residents reached the nearby shoreline.

Emergency responders, including the police, firefighters, and a Jamaica Defence Force helicopter, joined the search effort, which continued into the evening. Unfortunately, there was still no trace of the boy by nightfall.

After what Greenfield called a sleepless and painful night, she and other community members resumed the search at daybreak yesterday but again came up empty-handed.

“We need more assistance from the authorities in this search. The police did not come back this morning, and we have not seen the helicopter again,” said Greenfield. “I am not going to stop searching until we find him even if I have to sleep on the beach tonight.”

While classes were in session at the New Hope Primary and Junior High School yesterday, the mood was sombre as students and teachers struggled to come to grips with the tragedy, which has left them in mourning.

“The mood is one you would expect in a sad situation like this … . It is a difficult time for us here at the school and in the wider community,” said a source at the school, who said the principal was not composed enough to speak to the media. “We are all badly shaken up my what happened.”

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