NY NY - Patrick Alford, 7-year-old "runaway", Brooklyn, 22 Jan 2010 - #1 - Page 3

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #51 01-24-2010, 05:15 PM

Good point, webrocket. I do still think we need some more info about the foster parents though. I'm not saying that they had anything to do with it, but still.

IMO, I don't think she was worried about leaving him alone. It sounds as though she has multiple foster children, including Patricks younger sibling. So unless those other children were out of the apartment at the time, he wouldn't have been alone. But again, we just don't know the whole situation.

I think if he was planning to run, he would have thrown on a sweatshirt or coat. But then again, 7 year olds don't always think of these things.

Ohhh so many unanswered questions!

TGIRecovered · #52 01-24-2010, 05:16 PM

Something stinks with this story. This very experienced foster mom has a boy who, according to her, tries to run away every day. He is only 7 years old. What the heck made her think it was a good idea to let that child out of her sight for even a minute? It was 9pm...after dark, on a weekend night in a neighborhood crowded with strangers in New York City! She should have had that child either by the hand or within arm's reach the whole time. I don't believe she was just distracted for a moment and poof! he was gone!

mae · #53 01-24-2010, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idaho4Groenes

Also, the first article said "trash compactor" instead of just taking the trash out to the can/bin. That just brings up all sorts of horrible things in my mind that I don't even want to think about right now.

Almost always in NYC apartment buildings, this is a small room with recycling and a trash cute that opens with a small door--not that different from the way a post office box chute works--and that sends all the trash from different floors to one room in the basement.

I would have assumed they would have checked the trash room. Right?

mae · #54 01-24-2010, 05:30 PM

Have they talked to the bio mother and family? Has the child tried to contact them? If he's running, he has to have a place in mind to go or people to turn to. He wouldn't just hit the streets, would he?

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #55 01-24-2010, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mae

Have they talked to the bio mother and family? Has the child tried to contact them? If he's running, he has to have a place in mind to go or people to turn to. He wouldn't just hit the streets, would he?

We don't know. There has been no news since yesterday.

I would assume that they are in contact with his bio family. I think your theory would be correct with a teen, but I'm not sure that a 7 year old would think that far ahead and have a plan. But then, we don't know Patrick's history. We don't know if he is familiar with NYC, the subways, the streets, etc. Even if he was, though, there is still so much danger out there for a little boy.

petra · #56 01-24-2010, 06:08 PM

Just checking in--was hoping for good news by now.....sigh.

Texas Mist · #57 01-24-2010, 07:48 PM

I've checked all day to see if local news was keeping Patrick's story out there - not finding much, but there's no new news.

Updated at 04:57 PM today
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...cal&id=7235740

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #58 01-24-2010, 08:07 PM

Thanks for your continued checking, Texas. Day 3 of no Patrick.

The initial report said that Patrick disappeared while taking the trash out WITH his foster mother. Following reports have said he disappeared from the apartment while his foster mother was taking out the trash. This, IMO, is more likely. Simply because of what others have stated earlier. How do you lose a child on the way to the trash?

mae · #59 01-24-2010, 08:38 PM

I posted a tip to gothamist, and they posted the story.

http://gothamist.com/2010/01/24/7-ye...e.php#comments

I hope more media outlets follow suit.

mae · #60 01-24-2010, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idaho4Groenes

We don't know. There has been no news since yesterday.

I would assume that they are in contact with his bio family. I think your theory would be correct with a teen, but I'm not sure that a 7 year old would think that far ahead and have a plan. But then, we don't know Patrick's history. We don't know if he is familiar with NYC, the subways, the streets, etc. Even if he was, though, there is still so much danger out there for a little boy.

No doubt there is a lot of danger out there. And we have no idea the level of street smarts he has. But as the parent of a 7 year old in Brooklyn, I know it's very possible he is familiar with NYC and the subways and streets assuming he is in foster care in the same city in which he lives. Kids raised here know how to get around. Hopefully, he has a plan and know where he was doing and went straight to somewhere he knows.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #61 01-24-2010, 09:53 PM

It has now been over 48 hours and Patrick faces another night out there somewhere. I pray that he is warm and safe.

gaia227 · #62 01-25-2010, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Mist

After reading at ^^^^ link, I wonder -- wouldn't someone on the street see him & wonder why he was out by himself after dark? I mean, someone with good sense & not a perv....I would certainly notice in my neighborhood if a little one was out on the streets...for one thing, not too many kids are out during the day, so one after dark would catch my attention if I was out & about.

They have been running his story on the NYC news the last couple nights which is great. It was the 2nd story last night.

Regarding seeing a boy walking alone - this is NYC and there are so many people out all the time, including kids, it would not be strange to see at all. I see kids out by themselves all the time. Because most of us live in apts the sidewalks serve as kids yards. In my neighborhood there are kids riding their bikes, playing 4 square, they have a portable basket-ball goal set up, all on the sidewalk. It just isn't the same as living in a 'normal' city or suburb and seeing a child out alone at night.

The weather over the weekend was better than it had been by getting into the 40's but reaching freezing temps at night. Today it is very rainy and gloomy but it is 54degrees.

webrocket · #63 01-25-2010, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaia227

They have been running his story on the NYC news the last couple nights which is great. It was the 2nd story last night.

Regarding seeing a boy walking alone - this is NYC and there are so many people out all the time, including kids, it would not be strange to see at all. I see kids out by themselves all the time. Because most of us live in apts the sidewalks serve as kids yards. In my neighborhood there are kids riding their bikes, playing 4 square, they have a portable basket-ball goal set up, all on the sidewalk. It just isn't the same as living in a 'normal' city or suburb and seeing a child out alone at night.

The weather over the weekend was better than it had been by getting into the 40's but reaching freezing temps at night. Today it is very rainy and gloomy but it is 54degrees.

I rarely watch the local news. Any interviews with the foster family that might shed some light on this?

gaia227 · #64 01-25-2010, 01:16 PM

I have not seen any interviews with the biological or foster parents. It has just been the anchors covering the story with a couple street shots from the area he supposedly ran away from. They have been pretty short stories. They did say last night it was not clear why he had been placed in foster care. They reported LE had spoken to his biological mother and didn't think foul play is involved. I don't what that means exactly. Is that just bad phrasing or did LE speak to his mother, she gave them some information which leads the to think Patrick is okay? There seems to be little information out there.

Here is a map of the area. I set it to street view but I don't know if it will translate. If not, you can always choose street view yourself. It gives you a good idea of the neighborhood which is mostly apartment complexes.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ned=us&tab=nl

From what I can tell from the subway map the closest train is the L Train and that is about a 20 minute walk from where Patrick was living. If you stay on the L it will take you into Manhattan. From the L train there are several stops where someone could transfer to another train before getting into Manhattan which could take you further into Brooklyn, all the way Queens or into Manhattan. He would need either a Metrocard to board the train or $2.50 to buy a fare or at 7 yrs old he was small enough he could duck under the turn style. If he hopped on a bus he would still need either $2.50 or a Metrocard. There are numerous buses in his neighborhood he could have boarded.

CHICANA · #65 01-25-2010, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaia227

I have not seen any interviews with the biological or foster parents. It has just been the anchors covering the story with a couple street shots from the area he supposedly ran away from. They have been pretty short stories. They did say last night it was not clear why he had been placed in foster care. They reported LE had spoken to his biological mother and didn't think foul play is involved. I don't what that means exactly. Is that just bad phrasing or did LE speak to his mother, she gave them some information which leads the to think Patrick is okay? There seems to be little information out there.

Here is a map of the area. I set it to street view but I don't know if it will translate. If not, you can always choose street view yourself. It gives you a good idea of the neighborhood which is mostly apartment complexes.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ned=us&tab=nl

From what I can tell from the subway map the closest train is the L Train and that is about a 20 minute walk from where Patrick was living. If you stay on the L it will take you into Manhattan. From the L train there are several stops where someone could transfer to another train before getting into Manhattan which could take you further into Brooklyn, all the way Queens or into Manhattan. He would need either a Metrocard to board the train or $2.50 to buy a fare or at 7 yrs old he was small enough he could duck under the turn style. If he hopped on a bus he would still need either $2.50 or a Metrocard. There are numerous buses in his neighborhood he could have boarded.

Or did LE just mean there was no foul play involving bio-mom, meaning she didn't take him ?

The following statement is based on my own biased opinion.

I'm tellin ya, it's not being covered like it should be because the state has custody. Looks very bad to go losing other people's children within weeks of taking them. People might stop trusting them which means they might protest to funding them.

They need to aggressively look for this little boy. The state has all the resources to get his name & face plastered on every media outlet and prove it's really about doing what's best for this child.

JulieR · #66 01-25-2010, 02:05 PM

This little boy looks like a sweetheart, I hope he is found soon!! I have to agree the state don't want to look bad and lord forbid they picked someone to care for him, that would bring him harm..........

gaia227 · #67 01-25-2010, 04:11 PM

Unfortunately, I think you guys are right about the lack of coverage having to do with the fact he was in state custody. NYC Dept of Child Protective Services have had several high profile F'up's in the last few years and have caught A LOT of heat. The most high profile lately was the case of poor Nixmary Brown which was really just sheer negligence on the part of her case worker. Anyone who layed eyes on that child, trained or not, could have been able to tell she was in a horribly abusive situation. However, there are plenty of good case workers and they are stuck between a rock and a hard place because they are not being given the funding by NY state to do their jobs appropriately and I think this is the case in most states. Workers have so many case loads they can't keep up, they can't devote the time needed to each individual case. It is a travesty as I am certain every state in this union could find programs which were much less important than protecting the welfare of children. Anywhooo, off my soap box now, sorry about that.

My point was I agree with the sumation the state does not want a lot of coverage on this because it will just make them continue to look bad and negligent. I wish they had more stringent application processes for foster parents. I know there are lots of great ones but there are also plenty who do it simply for the money and too often they don't use that money to properly take care of the children they are supposed to be supervising.

Poor Patrick. I wonder if life was so bad there he was that desperate to get away? Or, almost as sad, he might have just missed his mom so much he was trying to get back to her.
Sadly, I have to wonder if something did not go awry inside the apt with the foster mother or father or an older child and Patrick was harmed in some way. People let things slip unconsciously and the fact the foster mother said they were going to the trash compactor makes me cringe a little bit.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #68 01-25-2010, 04:45 PM

New article today. We now have HIS BIO MOTHER'S NAME! (But still not the foster mother.) And it turns out she really did leave him outside when she took out the trash......

Cops looking for 7-year-old Staten Island boy missing from foster home

Police are seeking the public's help in finding a 7-year-old Staten Island boy who went missing from a Brooklyn foster home over the weekend.

Patrick Alford was last seen at about 9 p.m. Friday, leaving the lobby of the Spring Creek development at 130 Vandalia Ave. in East New York.

He had just been placed with a foster mother in the apartment complex three weeks prior, after his own mother, Jennifer Rodriguez, 23, of New Brighton, was arrested on petit larceny charges, said Ms. Rodriguez's aunt, Brenda Ortiz.

[snip]

"He had no coat on," Ms. Ortiz said, adding that police dogs lost his scent in the area of the Belt Parkway.

"We're looking ourselves," she said. "We went to Brooklyn, we put out fliers."

His foster mother, who authorities did not identify to the Advance, told authorities that she and Patrick went through the lobby of the building to throw out the garbage, according to Ms. Ortiz. She went back upstairs to her apartment to take a phone call and when she came back down, Patrick was gone, Ms. Ortiz said.

[snip]

Ms. Ortiz said she didn't believe Patrick was trying to return to his mother and couldn't think of where he might be headed. "We don't know," she said. "We think something happened to him. I don't know. Everybody's a wreck."

More: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...old_state.html

webrocket · #69 01-25-2010, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idaho4Groenes

New article today. We now have HIS BIO MOTHER'S NAME! (But still not the foster mother.) And it turns out she really did leave him outside when she took out the trash......

Cops looking for 7-year-old Staten Island boy missing from foster home

Police are seeking the public's help in finding a 7-year-old Staten Island boy who went missing from a Brooklyn foster home over the weekend.

Patrick Alford was last seen at about 9 p.m. Friday, leaving the lobby of the Spring Creek development at 130 Vandalia Ave. in East New York.

He had just been placed with a foster mother in the apartment complex three weeks prior, after his own mother, Jennifer Rodriguez, 23, of New Brighton, was arrested on petit larceny charges, said Ms. Rodriguez's aunt, Brenda Ortiz.

[snip]

"He had no coat on," Ms. Ortiz said, adding that police dogs lost his scent in the area of the Belt Parkway.

"We're looking ourselves," she said. "We went to Brooklyn, we put out fliers."

His foster mother, who authorities did not identify to the Advance, told authorities that she and Patrick went through the lobby of the building to throw out the garbage, according to Ms. Ortiz. She went back upstairs to her apartment to take a phone call and when she came back down, Patrick was gone, Ms. Ortiz said.

[snip]

Ms. Ortiz said she didn't believe Patrick was trying to return to his mother and couldn't think of where he might be headed. "We don't know," she said. "We think something happened to him. I don't know. Everybody's a wreck."

More: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...old_state.html

That's unfortunate that she left him for a moment for a phone call. At least they sent out the dogs and they did pick up a scent. The Belt Parkway? Oh my!

nervous_nellie · #70 01-25-2010, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webrocket

That's unfortunate that she left him for a moment for a phone call. At least they sent out the dogs and they did pick up a scent. The Belt Parkway? Oh my!

hi there webrocket...i have never been to the east....what is the Belt Parkway? your "oh my!" has me worried....tia!

webrocket · #71 01-25-2010, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nervous_nellie

hi there webrocket...i have never been to the east....what is the Belt Parkway? your "oh my!" has me worried....tia!

It's a busy roadway. Basically a cross Brooklyn highway.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #72 01-25-2010, 05:51 PM

If they really did track Patrick's scent to a major highway, and then lost it, it sounds like he may have been picked up.

I wonder why the foster mom had to go back up to the apartment to take the call? Did another child run down and tell her she had a call on a phone in the apartment? Was it a cell phone? Why would she leave him alone?

I am also very worried that his family does not think that Patrick is trying to get back to his mother.

webrocket · #73 01-25-2010, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idaho4Groenes

If they really did track Patrick's scent to a major highway, and then lost it, it sounds like he may have been picked up.

I wonder why the foster mom had to go back up to the apartment to take the call? Did another child run down and tell her she had a call on a phone in the apartment? Was it a cell phone? Why would she leave him alone?

I am also very worried that his family does not think that Patrick is trying to get back to his mother.

A little NYC geography might help here.

Staten Island, where the boy is from, is the only one of the 5 boroughs that make up NYC that is NOT connected by subways. You can only get there by car, bus or ferry.

I don't know how street savvy he was, but he probably was aware that there were no subways to get home (if that is where he wanted to go). If he had not been to Brooklyn before, coming upon the Belt Parkway may have been quite a shock.

He was not struck by a car as there would have been a report of that. If the scent was lost then I would have to conclude he was picked up by someone. A kindly citizen would have called the cops by now.

Not looking good.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #74 01-25-2010, 06:07 PM

Thanks, webrocket! I'm from a very small town in the Western US. Big city stuff confuses me, lol. Never been to NYC. Thanks for the geography help.

dreamweaver · #75 01-25-2010, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idaho4Groenes

If they really did track Patrick's scent to a major highway, and then lost it, it sounds like he may have been picked up.

I wonder why the foster mom had to go back up to the apartment to take the call? Did another child run down and tell her she had a call on a phone in the apartment? Was it a cell phone? Why would she leave him alone?

I am also very worried that his family does not think that Patrick is trying to get back to his mother.

This is the part that bothers me too.
Foster mom says for 3 weeks Patrick has tried to run away to his mom.
She takes Patrick with her to the trash compactor, located in the lobby of the apartment building. Why? Did she need help carrying the garbage?
Was it his chore?
Then, inexplicably, has to run back upstairs to take a phone call.

That statement does not hold together for me.
So, who tells her she has a phone call?
If she is going back up to the apartment, then why not take Patrick with her, since she says he runs away.
If she need to finish up, why not say, tell them I will call back.

Patrick's scent tracked to the Brooklyn Pkwy, was it that day or another day?

Is there a security camera in the lobby and he was seen leaving as soon as foster mom went upstairs, or is there a manager in the lobby?

Patrick is 7 yrs old. He is old enough to understand that mom has to go to jail for a little while.

Something is just not right.