News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Jack, age four... Photo provided
Jacqueline Roberson has no doubt: being reunited with her son Jack after 23 years is a miracle.
It's hard to explain otherwise; the odds against ever hearing from your kidnapped child again after so many years are astronomical.
The call came on Thursday, December 5. Her 32-year-old son Christian phoned and told her to sit down next to her husband, Randall. Jaki was not alarmed; she knew from his voice that whatever momentous news he had, it wasn't bad.
"I talked to Jack," Christian told her.
"I'm ashamed to say it," Jacqueline recalled, "but I said 'Jack who?'"
When the reality set in that this Jack was the son she had lost so long ago, she was ecstatic, thrilled beyond description or recall.
... and today. Photo provided
The profound emotion of the moment carried with it the agony of loss, the years of struggle with an unacceptable truth, the living of a parent's worst nightmare.
Jack was four that August in 1979. He was the baby of a family that included three other children, including his beloved nine-year-old brother, Christian. The family lived on a cul-de-sac on the island of Oahu, a family neighborhood where the children played together on the street and sidewalks and everybody kept an eye out for each other.
That morning, Jack was in the front yard playing when the phone rang, drawing his mother momentarily into the house. Police later speculated that the phone call was a set-up for a quick snatch.
In a moment, Jack was gone. It was likely that he had been abducted by professionals operating a black market baby ring.
Time and a joyous outcome have not dulled the slashing agony of that moment.
"There's a piece of me that relives it and it's really hard to talk about," Jaki said.
The police, the media and the FBI jumped into the case and, Jaki recalls, "they did the best that they could do."
But Jack was gone without a trace and Jaki was devastated. Over the years, she rebuilt a life, centered around her faith.
"To function -- and I had three other children -- you have to put it in perspective and believe that God has control of it," she said.
"That's what saved me," she said. "This is not an imaginary best friend. This is acid test Christianity. This is acid test faith."
Jaki registered with all the missing-child agencies and advocacy organizations that grew up in the subsequent two decades and hoped that her son was alive somewhere, and safe. Yet, a cold, rational part of her mind believed that he must be dead.
To be contacted now, to discover that her son is not only alive and safe, but happy and successful, with a loving wife and a young child, was beyond any hope.
Jaki still does not know the details of how her son tracked her down. In fact, it appears that Jack's wife of 2-1/2 years was the impetus behind the reunion.
Jack -- who was raised under another name -- had memories.
He remembered that his name had once been Jack, that he had a brother named Christian, whom he loved dearly, he remembered that he had lived in Hawaii. And he remembered being taken from his home.
His wife urged him to discover who he had been and to try to find his family.
"His wife immediately wanted to find us," Jaki said. "She was just relentless."
It took his wife the better part of two years, searching with all the new resources available on the Internet, but she finally found Christian. Through him, she found her husband's mother.
Mother and son have talked on the phone several times and Jaki will visit Jack and his family next month.
She does not know the circumstances of his adoption and raising and she is not too concerned about those details. She does know that "he was raised in a Christian home."
He has lived and continues to live a good, fulfilled life on the East Coast.
"Not only was he safe --he was gloriously safe! What more could we ask for as parents?" Jaki said.
Neither mother nor son wants to dwell on the pain and the loss they both suffered.
"He said, 'I got my mama back. Let's just go from here,'" Jaki said. "He's looking forward. He's not looking (to the) past."
There was never any doubt for Jaki that the young man she has spoken to and received pictures from is indeed her son. For one thing, the pictures tell the story (see above).
More telling still are the memories, distant but strong, Jack carries of his mother and their early life together.
"He remembered things from Hawaii that only he could know," Jaki said. "He remembers songs I used to sing to him. He remembers certain toys that I had forgotten about until he mentioned them."
Jaki is still adjusting to the miracle that has occurred in her life.
For her, it is a story that reaffirms the hope that is to be found for the faithful in this season.
"We hope this will encourage others to have a real Christmas of the spirit."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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