Concern, tempered with hope, mounts, as search for missing Warner girl enters 3rd day

The parents of Kernisha Etienne, the community of Warner, and indeed the nation, wait with agonizing anticipation for some positive word from police and other search and rescue parties as the search for the missing 12-year-old enters its 3rd day.

Etienne was abducted from her home by Kian Alexander, a mentally deranged man, on June 7^th, 2022 at about 11:30p.m.

The most revealing development so far since the search began, was the disclosure by Police Chief, Daniel Carbon during a press conference on Thursday, that items including a belt, one side of a pair of slippers, one nightgown, and a teddy bear believed to be that of Kernisha had been recovered in the Warner area.

Carbon also said that a Command Centre was established in the community of Warner to coordinate the intensive search which was continuing.

“Dr. Fevrier Drigo and a medical team of 6 are assisting at the command centre,” he stated and added that searches were ongoing in Warner, Springfield, Layou Park, Belfast, Belles, Syndicate, Sylvania, Sultan and surrounding areas.

“During the searches the police have been utilizing the drones, the Government of France supported the operation by providing the services of a helicopter yesterday [Wednesday 8^th June] afternoon.”

According to Chief Carbon, a total of 65 police officers, 4 officers from the Customs and  Excise Division and 6 officers from the Fire and Ambulance Services had been deployed to conduct the search.

He said the CDPF has been receiving tremendous support from various government agencies, private sector and members of the public.

“He [Alexander] has been terrorizing the community of Belles for the past two weeks,” Carbon stated. “This is indeed a very tragic event and the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force in collaboration with various government agencies, the private sector and the general public will do all that it can to rescue Kernisha Etienne and capture Kian Alexander.”

Meantime, Minister for National Security, Rayburn Blackmoore said people have come together in large numbers in the search of  Kernisha.

“We have a lot of people who have been involved in that effort,” he said. “We have been joined by the customs, forestry officers, the scouts… and Dominicans not only from the communities of Mahaut and Warner, from Roseau and other parts of the country.

Blackmoore expressed his elation over “that level of effort to deal with something this disturbing” and said Kian Alexander should be considered armed and dangerous.

He said the state would commit all the required resources, including human resources, to ensure that Kernisha is found.

“We are hopeful that she is ok and as I said before every minute that passes by puts her in a worse situation,” the Minister stated.

Blackmoore issued a warning and a call to parents who reside in the area known to be a secluded area where the children are left unsupervised, “to be mindful that your children should be supervised and closely monitored because this dangerous person is considered to be in that general location.”