News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Jaki Roberson with her son and his family -- reunited after years of mystery. Photo provided
Jacqueline Roberson of Sisters reunited with her son last month, after 23 years of darkness in which she did not know if he was still alive. Her son Jack was kidnapped from in front of his house in Hawaii at age four in August 1979 -- most likely by professionals operating a black market baby ring.Until December 5, 2002, Jack was gone without a trace. Raised under another name on the east coast, Jack, now 27, had memories of his early childhood that prompted his wife to search for his identity.She eventually found Jack's older brother and through him, his mother Jaki (See The Nugget, December 18, 2002). Jaki flew east to reunite with her son last month. The following is her own account of that reunion:... "The plane's landing gear locked into place and I knew what was next: We'd skip on the runway and then there'd be the whoosh of arrival. It was about at that point that I had thoughts of unclicking my seatbelt, bolting up the aisle and opening the exit door myself.
"Just let me through, let me out. I'm sorry, felIow passengers, but you don't understand. It was only the heavy metal jet door that was separating us now. Only a few feet of airport carpet, only hundreds of other travelers moving around too slowly.
"'Mooooove,' I wanted to scream.
"I was a mother again. Not a numbed with grief and shocked mother, but a very much alive one.
"The urgency to find him was feverish. Reason was not going to work here, I had to find him. It was as though the dam had finally broken. All the waiting, the wondering, the holding myself together for all the responsible reasons, were bursting over every bit of consciousness.
"And there he was. I recognized him immmediately, my 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound baby. He was running, too, his arms extended. I don't remember the rush towards him. My daughter-in-law, Jenny, later told me I dropped my carry-on and seemed to be flying.
"He was solid, no longer the mirage, the dream. I could smell his skin and touch his wet cheeks. He grabbed me like a frightened four-year-old. He held me as though if he didn't we'd be ripped apart again. I think we both stopped breathing. Tears mingled and I slowly became aware of the building around us.
"We were alive, together, in this life. Jenny and my two-year-old granddaughter Laura (looks just like my baby pictures) were giving us a moment but were awaiting hugs as well. Laura looked at me as though she knew me from somewhere. Jack scooped her up and said, "Laura, this is my Mommy."
"I cannot report that we knew exactly the moment Jenny's work on the Internet clicked and all dots were connected. It took two solid, painstaking years of Internet searching. The FBI and Missing Persons files, the police reports in Hawaii where the abduction took place in 1979, were still available.
"Over the years I registered him with every missing children registry that was established. Somehow in the vast mix of computer sciences, it came together.
"She was on the edge of calling a private investigator. Sitting at her desk one nondescript morning, she tuned in and there it was: We have a match. Big block letters. Incredulous, she dropped her coffee and clicked. My son Christian's name popped up. Christian was the only name Jack remembered besides his own.
"All things do work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28).
"The days to follow were a blur. Even the mundane was eclipsed by our sense of being together again. The simplest events became spectactular.
"My husband Randall and I cherish this opportunity to thank (so small a word) beloved Sisters for sharing this with us. Friends are the family you choose. It could not have happened in a better place."
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