Joy and jubilation as missing Old Harbour man found

Tears of joy washed the face of Nicola Maye as she hugged her child and thanked God for finally answering her most heartfelt prayer.

Her firstborn child 21-year-old Jamar Jackson, who has been missing for over three weeks, was found alive on Saturday, January 20, 2024, and the mother of seven was finally able to just breathe comfortably again. The reunion was an especially sweet one for Maye as it was the swift action of her own mother that brought Jackson back into the familial fold.

• Old Harbour mother determined to find missing son

Despite the naysayers and doubters telling Maye that the odds of finding her child alive were slim to none, she never lost hope though statistically the disappearance of most young men in Jamaica has ended in tragedy and heartbreak for their families. A routine trip to downtown Kingston put Maye’s mother on a bus which subsequently drove past her grandson sheltered under a bus shed.

“A me mada go town and find him. She inna the bus, see him and stop the bus and come off. Him run come hug up me mada and sey, ‘Grandma me miss me way,’” she said.

Jackson was found on Spanish Town Road in the vicinity of Delacree Park. He had apparently been walking around aimlessly for weeks, unable to find his way back to Old Harbour and its familiar surroundings. 

After the reunion, when questioned, he explained to his family that on the night of his disappearance he had taken a taxi to go to ‘town’ and handed the driver a J$5,000 note and instead of returning his change, the man put him out of the cab. He then realised that he was lost as he did not know his whereabouts and has been walking around in circles ever since.

When asked how he survived he said that he begged money for food from passersby and would stop at strangers’ yards and ask them for water from their pipes. At night, he would go into the bushes in order to sleep unmolested.

“A God protected him ‘cause him walk inna Rose Town and plenty bad area and nobody nuh trouble him. Him alright. Him nah nuh scratch pon him or nothing, the only thing his foot swell, maybe because of all of the walking so me a bring him go get checkup to ensure that him alright,” said a relieved Maye.

Jackson’s father was also informed of his return and has not only come to see that his son is indeed alive and well, but has made an effort to get involved as he has promised to go to the police station and make a formal report about his return.

“Yes, I’ve told the police that he’s home now,” he said.

Though he appears to be physically fine, Maye has since taken him to the Spanish Town Hospital to receive a clean bill of health and was given a referral for Jackson to join the clinic for both medication and counseling sessions. 

Since his homecoming, Maye has been doing her best to fatten up her son and shared that his appetite is good and that he is happy to be back home with his siblings.

“An angel was definitely watching over him. I’m so happy. All of my stress and pain is over,” she tells Old Harbour News.