The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A mother’s plea for help finding her son yesterday turned out to be a false alarm.

In a Facebook post around 1pm, Diia Smith said her 4-year-old son was missing. The post was shared more than 2,000 times, receiving scores of comments. The heightened attention came after a three-year-old boy, Shavar Bain Jr, was kidnapped on February 16 while riding his bicycle outside his South Beach Estates home.

Around 5.30pm yesterday, Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dean said the child was not missing as reported.

“It was a miscommunication between relatives,” he said.

“The child was left home alone unattended by a relative and was taken from the residence by another relative who discovered him home alone. Police and social services personnel are investigating this matter.”

Ms Smith later posted on Facebook: “Thank you for all your concerns, Kendel is safe and found, thank you for all the prayers.”

Earlier, a godmother of the child, Jeaneka Russell, claimed to The Tribune that the mother was in the bathroom when someone came and took the child from inside the house.

Asked how the person got into the home, she couldn’t say, noting there was no forced entry. She spoke to The Tribune from inside the Central Detective Unit where the family went to file a report.

Meanwhile, police are still searching for suspects in Shavar’s abduction. A witness to the kidnapping said the toddler was taken off his bicycle by two women who put him in their silver coloured car and sped away.

Roughly 13 hours later, the child was dropped off outside a Sunrise Washhouse on Fox Hill and Joe Farrington Roads.

The child had no visible injuries but was frightened, police said.