And turning back now to the story of the boy who became a martyr for police brutality.
Laddie Gillett came into the national consciousness when he was killed on a beach in Placencia village. But long before that tragic night Laddie, had already led an unlikely life moving through sheer circumstance from the concrete jungle of Majestic Alley to the rural western Belize with a family which was able to give him the best of everything.
But who did Laddie really belong to? His biological mother Linda Gillett has, for many months, claimed that custody of the fourteen-year-old remained with her, even if she had no idea where he was.
And, for their part, Laddie's foster family doesn't dispute that while they loved and cared for him, they never had legal custody.
Tonight we take a look at Laddie's story, from his first years waiting to be adopted, to the son and brother he became in Emil Bradley's household. Cherisse Halsall reports.
By now, the entire country knows the story of Laddie Gillett's death, the four-year-old boy who was allegedly shot by police while on vacation with his foster family in Placencia.
But as a foster child, Laddie had a deeper history. He was the son of Majestic Alley resident, Linda Gillett. Back then she told us that she hadn't seen Laddie since he was 3 years old but that it wasn't for a lack of trying. She claims that her son had been kept from her.
Linda Gillett, Biological mother
"In a dead box, now I have to see my son, when we are claiming and find out ah the was with, nobody want claim ah. Why did they wait until he is dead now to get in contact with me when I was going around trying hard to get in contact with my son. Why now, they want wait now for when my son dead."
But How did Linda Gillet Even Come to give Laddie up? She says two women from the alley arranged to get Laddie adopted by a family in the U.S.
Linda Gillette "I gave Laddie up because I wanted a better life for him. No, I didn't sign nothing to hand no child to Desiree, it was a verbal talking."
Talking that Linda Gillett says hinged on giving her child a shot at what a life in the U.S. could offer. But everything changed when, according to the Bradley-Fleming's, the man who was supposed to adopt Laddie, another Laddie, this one Laddie Bryson, a relative of the family who ultimately ended up raising him, was forced to halt the adoption process due to a number of traffic violations. That's where Emil Bradley's grandmother ---- came into Laddie's story.
Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"The family member contacted my grandma and asked her if she could look after Laddie for the meanwhile until all these, the process, the adoption process came through with her in the U.S. for Laddie to go. Well, that did't work out. We've lost communication with the person so my grandmother was the one who took up full responsibility. After that I was involved in his life from the beginning."
"We have pictures with Laddie when he celebrate his first, his third birthday with us being around us and from that time, we were involved in Laddie's life."
"Well, you couldn't get between grandma and Ladie, you know, I mean what Laddie was her little boy, I mean it was so close. I could recall."
"I could remember the suffering my grandmother went through because that night she used to suffer from cramps in her legs. So, Laddie was close by, he was most of the time he would be the one there assisting her because he was close by and my other cousins they are in thier houses in the yard in the family yard and that is how they developed a close bond."
And up until Laddie was three, his Biological Mom Linda was allowed to visit but that all changed when
Laddie's guardian was informed that Linda, who had never legally relinquished custody, was trying to take the boy back, to come to her house and kidnap the then 3 year old boy and take him back to Majestic Alley, somewhere she believed he'd be made to suffer.
Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"So when she came back my grandmother told her don't. Come back. You know don't come back, don't visit him."
Linda Gillett
"After that they started hiding him from me."
And just like that Gillett claims to have been dispossessed of a son that she had given away, yes.
But under very different circumstances.
Linda Gillette
"This it's not right for you to be hiding my child from me because this is my child and the agreement was that I could come and visit my son until this thing goes through, alright, so after that, that was it I went home, visited, went home and the other time when I went and visited that is when they told me that my son wasn't here, he went, so I asked, how can he go without me signing nothing or mr giving permission, or even signing his social, birth paper, or for his passport. I still decided and I said you know what I won't give up. I'm still going back."
Cherisse Halsall:
"At this time did you have it in your head to say well, you know the adoption fell through, let me get my child back?"
Linda Gillette "Yes, I told them that, I told them I didn't sign any papers and I haven't done that. If those people that had my son are doubting my concern. People just can't look at you and judge you not just because I come from the ghetto, that means I am not nice, that is not true."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Being that you never signed anything, do you feel as his biological mother that if there is any compensation for his death, the it is owed not to the foster family but to you?"
Linda Gillette
"Yes, it is it has to be owed to me because he was not adopted, all these years he was still rightfully my child, dead or alive he is still my child, dead or alive he is still my child and I am the one who is in pain her, I am the victim here, nobody else but me. That's my belly pain, nobody knows how I feel. Nobody apologized to me about what they have done to me, nobody has done anything but disrespect me after when they were done. I AM IN PAIN and I will be in pain until I'm dead too."
But how does Emil Bradley and his wife come into the complex tale?
Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"And after my grandmother had passed away then it was only right, we were the ones in the position to look after Laddie. We knew Linda was his mom, Imean we wouldn't deny for her to see Laddie, I mean we aren't like that."
"At one point we were trying to go through the legal documents with the process with the papers going through the social, social services and all of that to do the right thing but it takes a lot of process and we get busy and you know, we would have never thought that something like this would have happened where we would have to thing with Ms. Linda."
But very tragically Laddie died and once he was dead and a police man was alleged to be at fault questions arose as to which one of these families would be entitled to the compensation that the government of Belize may owe.
We asked Emil Bradley about Linda Gillett's opinion that that money is owed to her.
Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"Part of it I agree with with legally yes she is his mother and we are not denying that from her, yes she is the biological mother but the entitlement for Laddie, we are not even putting a price on Laddie to that sense in even wanting to make a claim for his life, we are seeing something different. If she within her heart thinks that she deserves that knowing that she was not involved in Laddie's life the way she should have been as a mother who cares that is fine. I will not go against her. Let somebody else decide. Let her conscience be her guide and obviously she does not have one from the time she wanting to do this she is suing the government and I mean knowing that legally I would say that she is entitled as the mother because we don't have any paper to show that yes Laddie is ours but we have papers to show that we paid school fees and everything for Laddie supporting him, but legally to have custody, no we don't have."
"Yes, legally she is the mother, but was she playing the role of a mother? That would be the question. She wasn't you know."
"There are many ways how she, like I said she was in communication with the family. If she really wanted Laddie and we really worked it out for her to have Laddie, so I don't know what to say, all my mind is on right now we are just focusing on for the trial and to let it be over with and then after that we will do something else. If she wants to go ahead as the mother and sue the government that is fine."
Linda Gillett has indicated that she will pursue a wrongful death suit for her son.
