This photo, said to be of Kimba Marshall, is circulating online
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Police are trying to find a 13-year-old boy who was reported missing almost five months ago.
Kimba Marshall, a student of the Five Islands Primary School, had not shown up for classes since February, prompting the education officer to make an unofficial report last month after being unable to get concrete information from the child’s mother Natasha Nedd.
Director of Education Clare Browne said the Ministry of Education is aware that the child is missing and engaged the police youth intervention unit and all other relevant agencies about a month ago.
Clare said he had also made personal efforts, by directly contacting the Commissioner of Police, after he said the mother’s answers seemed “confusing and contradictory”.
Observer understands that the child lived with his father in Bolans at the time he went missing. However, neither the police nor the Director of Education has been able to contact or meet with the boy’s father, Ashiel Marshall.
“We are still dialoguing with the mother. I did try to reach out to the father to no avail, so we’ll continue to do so because at the end of the day we need to know where this child is,” said Inspector Frankie Thomas.
The boy’s mother told Observer she filed a report with the police but claimed that nothing was being done.
But Inspector Thomas said the police have been actively investigating since a report was made.
“The police are fully aware of the child being missing since a report was made to the Bolans police station and the youth intervention unit, which is responsible for this type of incident. The police are still searching and inquiring of the whereabouts of this child even as we speak,” he said.
However, Thomas added that the initial photo the mother provided to the police was of little help as the child was about five years old at the time it was taken.
“I did try to source an updated photo that I can share with the public. [His mother] indicated to me the photo that she has in her possession is one when the child was five or so, a very young person. That in itself is not going to be helpful as it stands now,” Thomas said.
“We are working towards seeing how best we could enhance that photo and come up with an image more suitable in the likeness of the child at the age that he is at this point in time. We are still in the process of doing that. However, we are not in possession of a photo that is depicting the child’s present age.”
However, there are reports of a more recent photo of Kimba circulating on social media.
Residents are being asked to share any information they may have that could help find the child.
Thomas said the police remain optimistic that they will be able to locate the 13-year-old boy, and his mother told Observer that she believes her son is alive.
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