For a week, 4-year-old Carnel Chamberlain was a missing child. But police say he's been found, dead, beneath the porch of his own house! I think it's safe to say this isn't the ending anyone wanted.
But as I read through the back story on the Michigan boy who never had a chance to grow up, I was struck by the week that his mom, Jaimee Chamberlain, had. For a week, she didn't know where her son was. And yet, for an extra week, I hope she held out hope that he was alive.
It's hard to say what is worse on a mother: to find out immediately that her child is dead or to spend a week tied up in knots, wondering. Waiting.
Police say Carnel was home with his mother's boyfriend the day he went missing. Jamiee has spoken out about her suspicions that her boyfriend (who hasn't been named by police) was somehow involved in the boy's disappearance. Earlier this week, she explained that she returned home from work and Carnel was gone, but said the boyfriend wasn't looking for him. After she did a thorough search of the home they share on a Native American reservation, she called the tribal police force and reported her son was missing.
That was June 21. Since then, Jaimee has had to wait. She's had plenty of time to question and second guess herself. It sounds like torture to me. I imagine she asked herself why she left her son with the kind of guy who police say has been only minimally cooperative. I bet she has asked herself all the questions a mother would.
If the little boy's body had been discovered right away, she would have been saved those questions. Police say they did check under the Chamberlain house for Carnel, but for some reason didn't see him there. Why they went back they won't say ... yet.
And yet, if Carnel's body was found immediately by the various police agencies, Jaimee Chamberlain would have been thrown into grief immediately. She wouldn't have had that "extra" time of thinking her child was alive.
I don't know if one really is better than the other. Either way, a child is dead, and there is no making sense of that. My thoughts go out to Carnel Chamberlain's family today.
What do you think of the week it took until they found this little boy's body?
Image via National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
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Comments 102
Obviously they didn't do a THROUGH search of the house to begin with!!! WTF??? And the fact that the boyfriend wasn't even worried or looking for the boy was fishy. Who let's a 4 yr old out of their sight????
The little boy was badly burned when found & the boy friend has been arrested for assault, so far. The mother has also told police about previous incidents where the boyfriend had abused the child but it's not clear yet why she didn't file a complaint.
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/central_mich/anthony-bennett-carnel-chamberlain-fed-complaint-062912
Horrible boy friend cerainly did this to this precious little boy.They a tree waiting for him to be tie to,no water,food very cold snow & ice weather,or 106 high heat,people line up take turn trowing stone at him,untill he died,leave for animal to eat.Mother such never trust boy friend,or be such who you leave your children with.
I read some other articles on this and actually, the mother did nothing to protect her child and she knew this was a possibility. She reported herself that she saw him abusing her son! On more than 1 occassion! And then she goes and leaves him ALONE with her son?! I know she's going through so much right now, but she could have done so much more.
My heart just breaks for this family... However...if I had an open porch, that'd be the first place I looked as that's a place I hid as a kid.
A WEEK! A whole WEEK! Dear god I would have been a fruit loop! Where is he? Is he frightened? Maybe he's here, or here or here? Is he safe? Is he alive? Oh dear god I hope he's alive? Why did he run away? What did I do wrong? Maybe I should have stayed home that day? I could have it wasn't busy at work! Why didn't (the boyfriend) look after him better? Why wasn't he looking for him? He's only a little boy. where is he? Maybe he's at a friend's house, or with grandma? He'll come home I know he will! I wish I had been here! Why didn't I stay home? I bet he's so scared and alone/ Where's my baby? WHy didn't I see there was a problem? What happened when I left? Where was (the boyfriend) at the time? Did he have something to do with this? Why didn't I hug him this morning? I I I I ......funny how the first after the first anxious moments we would blame ourselves for it. Out loud of course you would have said 'WHy weren't you watching him?" to the boyfriend, but deep down you would be blaming yourself for not being a 'better mother'.