Alesia Edwards
The mother of then seven-week-old baby boy from St. Mary, who was stolen from her at Drax Hall Estate in St. Ann last month, is overjoyed that he has been returned to her without being harmed. She says she will not allow herself to be tricked again, in that way, by anyone. Annmarie Karram of Rocky Hill, Retreat Content in St Mary said she was tricked by two women, to come to Drax Hall, St Ann, some 25 miles from her home where they ran off with her baby. The baby was found on Tuesday, December 2, reportedly in Linstead, St. Catherine and one woman has been taken into police custody in relation to the incident. Baby Akeem was reunited with his mother the same day and the police, as well as the Child Development Agency (CDA), are continuing their investigation.
“I am overjoy. Me glad that me get him back and him ok. Dem never hurt him or nothing and him feeding alright and everything alright,” Ms Karram told the North Coast Times when we revisited her house last Friday. The baby was asleep and the mother ensured that he was well protected especially from mosquitoes as she believes he had contracted the Chik V and that resulted in him spending three days in hospital.
BOT EVEN MOSQUITOES
“When him sleep inna dat now not even mosquito can’t bite him, me love me baby and me always tek good care a them,” Ms Karram said. “I was so happy when the police called and said they find my baby and him was okay, a pure screaming and excitement, I was so happy.” Ms Karram said she was told to remain at home as the police and CDA personnel would be bringing the baby to her. “They come in the evening part and after dem (CDA) check the house and see that everything alright they give him over to me, if everything wasn’t okay dem woulda give him over to government.” She said though conditions were modest at her home, they had been found to be fine.
NO STRANGERS
Ms Karram said she has now become even more protective of her baby and she said she will never allow anyone, especially strangers near the child again. “If me go out and me affi go bathroom, me a carry him inna the bathroom with me, me nah mek nobody hold him, after what I go through, all the pain in my breast because I couldn’t breast feed and people saying I sell him, I am going to protect him,” she said. Ms Karram said her next plan is to have him received his six-week check at the community health centre and she said arrangements have been made to get that done. Arrangements have also been made to get the child registered and she said she is also looking at having him ‘christened’ soon. “Next week is my birthday and me so happy me get him back fi me birthday, everybody happy, his brother and sisters and all my family and friends, people in the community, everybody just happy that him come back and nothing is wrong with him,” she said.
As The Times reported last week, Ms Karram thought the women were going to assist her to register baby Akeem, when she agreed over the telephone to meet a female caller in Ocho Rios to sign some papers regarding the child. However, she said she was tricked by the women, none of whom she knew before and her young child who was not yet registered or had not gone to the clinic for his six-week medical check, was stolen from her at Drax Hall Estate where she was told the papers regarding the child would be signed.
FURTHER FROM HOME
The incident occurred on Monday, November 24, shortly after Ms Karram said she received a telephone number to call and when she made contact the woman on the other end enquired about the registration, as well as the medical condition of her child. She agreed to meet the woman in Ocho Rios, but when she got there the woman told her that the person who would assist her was waiting for her in Drax Hall, further away from her home. There, the baby was stolen allegedly by two women and the incident left tongues wagging with many suggesting that the mother travelled to St. Ann to sell the last of her five children. Three of Ms Karram’s older children live with her while the eldest who is 17 lives with relatives in neighbouring St. Ann.
Ms Karram said she is grateful for all the support she received during what she said was a very difficult period and she thanked the media for publicizing the incident. “They run a lot of tests on him so right now me just waiting to hear the result but him feeding and everything alright and him not crying a lot so I think everything is okay now.”
