Last night, we reported that police are investigating the possibility that human remains found in a shallow grave off the Coastal Highway on Monday may be those of Jermaine Fuentes. Fuentes disappeared in 2002, and now police are investigating the possibility that some of their own may have been involved. Today his mother told us that she has not heard anything from her son for 6 years. And while she fears that he has died, confronting the likelihood of it now is far more painful. Both she and her daughter spoke to us; they asked to appear off camera and for us not to us their names.
Mother,
“It is my niece that called me and asked me if I didn’t watch Channel 7 and then she thought me told me that it was on the news. The police should come and told the family what happened first. I had to hear it from my niece and from the news.”
Keith Swift,
You went to the police and so what did they tell you?
Mother,
“The police told me it is true they found the remains of someone but they can’t say for sure if it is Jermaine, they say they have to conduct an investigation because they didn’t determine if it is a male or a female.”
Keith Swift,
Your son has been missing for 2002, you haven’t heard from your son, what did you think happened to him?
Mother,
“Well from the start I figured more or less he was dead because I am his mom and usually when I don’t see him for three days he usually comes and call me or get someone to tell me that he is okay and not to worry. So I know that he wasn’t alive because I would have known, maybe I wouldn’t have known where he was right, but I would have known that he was alive and okay.”
Sister of Jermaine Fuentes,
“There is a difference between speculation and confirmation. For us to hear this news through the media or from a family member it is very sad. The police should have had the decency to come to the family and tell them we find some remains and we are not sure if it is your son but we speculate that perhaps maybe it is your son. And for us to find out like that and we went to see the police today and it is like we’re getting nowhere. It is basically push around.”
Keith Swift,
We reported last night that Jermaine was a wanted man, they said he committed a number of crimes, but at the same time for you, this is your son – so this must be very hard for you.
Mother,
“Its very hard because I knew he was missing right but then I always had the belief that someday we would see him but then now to find out he is dead, its very difficult because we know we will not see him again.”
There is a post mortem scheduled for tomorrow. Again, police have not confirmed the identity – but his family says they want the remains. Police are refusing because they say they cannot confirm that it is Jermaine Fuentes.
