'I just want to see my son'

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:As was customary, back in May 2010, building contractor Walton Dunstan, who resides in Content district in Adelphi, St James, took his then 10-year-old son, Shemar, to school at Catherine Hall Primary School in Montego Bay. It was the last time he saw his son.

"When I went to the school that afternoon to get him, he was not there," said a teary-eyed Dunstan. "The teacher told me that his mother had come to the school and had taken him away."

The child's mother, Nicola Oniki Grant, who is formerly of Rock River in Clarendon, was involved in a long-term relationship with Dunstan, but they separated when the child was eight years old.

"We used to live together before my son was born and for the first eight years of his life," said Dunstan. "After we separated, the mother took the child, but she had him bouncing around from place to place, so I decided to take him.

"In the two years that I had sole custody of him, we developed an inseparable bond," said Dunstan. "We love each other dearly. This little boy was my world."

At the time young Shemar was taken away from his school, his father said he was not aware that Shemar's mother, who had gone overseas, was back in Jamaica.

"The mother went overseas (the United States) on a job-related project and did not return," the distraught Dunstan said. "We were not in contact as after we separated, we basically cut off all ties, and that was it."

After exhaustive travels all over Jamaica searching for relatives of the child's mother in a bid to locate his son, Dunstan said, based on the bits and pieces he gathered, he believed the child was taken out of Jamaica and is now living in the United States of America.

No Visa

"Since my son did not have a visa, I believe he was taken out of the country by fraudulent means," Dunstan said. "I have contacted the Jamaican police, the US State Department, and the various government departments, but to date, I have had no luck."

After three years, the senior Dunstan is consumed by frustration but is not giving up hope. According to him, he will continue to search for his son for as long as it takes to find him.

"I have tried everything so far, so I am now turning to my son's mother again," said the anxious dad. "Over the years, they have been telling me that they know nothing, but I am now appealing to their conscience. I need to at least know that my son is okay."

One thing that is hampering Dunstan in his search is that except for his baby pictures, he does not have any photographs of his son.

"I have pictures when he was only a few months old, but those would not give an accurate representation of how he looks today," Dunstan said. "I am appealing to anyone who knows anything about him to let me know. He means the world to me, and I want him to be a part of my life."