by Fatimah bint Charles

Created on: January 21, 2009

I received a phone call today. It's funny though; usually when my daughter Fi is on the phone, she doesn't switch over (it's our practice in case it's a collector or someone else we choose not to accept calls from) but for some reason this time she did. She quickly hung up from talking with her sister and passed me the phone. I was puzzled because she didn't tell me a name or indicate that it was someone that I knew or even wanted to talk to.

Detective Morengo from the New Jersey Police Dept., Missing Persons Division. I didn't get excited.
I thought it was just a routine follow-up like the ones that I get from the Chester Police Department asking if I still want to keep the missing persons file on Omar active.

The Detective introduced himself and asked if I had heard anything yet from my son. When I told him that I hadn't, he affirmed that he knew of the allegory that my son had fallen from the bridge. I don't really remember if he said fallen or jumped; he was so mannerly throughout the conversation it just seemed to me that he used the word fallen.
He asked me about Omar's disposition, was he depressed or had any personal problems he may have been dealing with and I told him that my son was very uplifted that day, in a very good mood; he asked me if I have any DNA on file anywhere (I didn't ask from whom I just assumed that he was talking about me) I told him no. He asked if I knew what Omar could have been wearing.

"He usually wore sweatpants and a white tee shirt with white sneakers."

The Detective asked about the sneakers. "Is it possible that they could have been black?

" Never. He always wore white sneaks."

He asked if there were any Injuries or operations.

"Well, he had broken ribs and I remember a scar on his forehead from a car accident but no operations that I know of."

" Did he have a dentist or any dental work done?"

" Yeah. He had a problem tooth, a cavity or maybe an abcess I wasn't really sure which, but I know it bothered him so much that he finally went to the dentist. I don't know if he had it removed."

"We're looking for someone with a missing front tooth," He said.

" Oh," I paused for a second. "You're looking for someone too?" I asked.

"Well, no. A body washed ashore in ."

I realized then that this was not one of those routine' follow-up calls.

Whatever he said after that escaped me for a few seconds.
My breath became light and I could hear myself speaking very faintly almost as if I were fading away.

"...but my son disappeared 2 years ago," implying that it wasn't possible for their discovery to be my son.

He replied by telling me that he knew my case and the body had been in the water for quite some time.
I could feel the tears well in my eyes but I refused to cry because I needed to finish the conversation. I figured then that maybe the DNA he asked about was DNA taken from my son. The detective asked me about the dental records and I promised that I would get back with him right away with the information he needed. I couldn't wait to get off of the phone now because the tears were rolling and all I could do was sit where I was until the scenarios stopped playing in my mind.

I called Detective Morengo and gave him the information he requested. He thanked me and said that he would contact the Chester Police Dept and eventually get back with me. I emphatically thanked him and told him that I would be patiently awaiting his call.

I am still waiting.

Omar is still missing.

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