The parents of Quawan “Bobby” Charles believe Louisiana law enforcement failed to make their son’s disappearance a priority and wasted precious time that may have saved their son’s life.
On October 30, 15-year-old Quawan was alone at his father’s house while his father was out shopping.
Quawan left the house with his 17-year old friend and his mother, both white, while his father was still out shopping.
The family reported Quawan missing on October 30 and the Baldwin police suggested that he might’ve gone to a football game and the police also questioned if he had a troubled past.
Typical racial-profiling.
It wasn’t until three days later that Quawan’s family learned he had left the house with the “friend” and his mother from a third-party source, according to the family’s attorney Ron Haley.
Police waited three days before pinging the teen’s phone to search for him, according to Haley.
Quawan’s body was found on November 3 in a sugar cane field near Loreauville, approximately 25 miles from his Baldwin home.
The media picked up the story when Quawan’s family went public and his aunt posted a graphic photo of him on a GoFundMe page seeking donations for a private autopsy.
According to the Sheriff’s office, an autopsy has been performed, but no results have been released.
Authorities claimed Quawan drowned in the cane fields, but the cane fields hold a minimal amount of water and the picture from the GoFundMe post tells a different story.
Attorney Haley said the local media was clueless until the family went public.
Every local media outlet that I spoke with, that covers the Iberia Parish area, said that they did not even know a child was missing, let alone killed, until the family put them on notice.
The family and Haley were very frustrated by the “lack of empathy” from law enforcement.
A child was taken from, or last taken from, his parents’ home without permission, and they report it to the police, and that’s somehow not priority No. 1. That’s mind-boggling to me.
Haley also stated, Quawan’s family “felt that they were not getting the support, and they were not being listened to.”
The family believe that Quawan’s race played a vital part in the lack of support from law enforcement.
Quawan’s father, Kenneth Jacko, accompanied by parish deputies went to the white woman’s house that Quawan left with a day before his body was discovered.
She said, the boys wanted to spend time together, but Quawan left alone. She did not say why he left or what time he left.
The family lawyer Haley does not believe she is telling the truth.
Why Bobby left, or what time he left [is unclear]. The only thing that was consistent was, she picked him up and brought him back to her place. After that, nothing. And that should draw suspicion in and of itself.
Witnesses say they saw the white mom and her child, who still have not been identified, pack up and leave their mobile home community, and they have not been seen since.
Many people in the parish have stated how the situation would’ve played out differently if Quawan was a white child.
At a rally held this week, outside the Iberia Parish courthouse, Quawan’s aunt Celina Charles said:
Everybody’s life matters, but Quawan’s life was taken away recklessly and it was sad, and we’re going to get justice.
Attorney Haley expressed his frustration with the police response.
I believe that, if they showed a greater sense of urgency in this, two things could have happened. One, Bobby could still be here because they could have intervened. Two, if Bobby still wouldn’t have been here, those who were responsible for killing him would be arrested. Evidence would be ripe. Folks would not have been able to cover up their tracks. And instead, we’re here 13, 14 days later without answers.
The family’s grieving. They’re going to bury their son in a week, and they still know very little.
The Sheriff office said, it “continues to investigate the suspicious circumstances” and, “investigators have interviewed multiple individuals and collected physical evidence which is being processed.”
They need to find the woman and the son that Quawan left with because everything about their story screams guilty.
See the KATC3 news report about the death of Quawan below:
This is a very sad story, and we send our condolences to Quawan’s family, and we pray that the family gets justice and closure in this case.
Source: People
