The mother of a 7-year-old who disappeared from a foster home in Brooklyn more than a week ago remains behind bars because authorities believe she knows where her son is. Staten Island resident Jennifer Rodriguez—who according to the Post was described by a social worker yesterday as a drug-addicted habitual liar—is being held on contempt charges as authorities continue to look her son, Patrick Alford, who went missing on Jan. 22.
Rodriguez lost custody of her child after being arrested for theft. She has claimed the boy is staying with her aunt, though the relative denied it. Police have used helicopters and police dogs to search the neighborhood and swamps near the East New York foster home where Alford was last seen, but they haven't found any sign of the child.
On Sunday, officers searching for Alford found themselves in the middle of a gang-related gunfight, according to the Daily News. The commanding officer of Brooklyn's 75th Precinct fired a single shot in the altercation, which lead to the recovery of two handguns and the arrests of three individuals, but it didn't turn up any clues about the boy's disappearance. According to WCBS, Alford is 4-foot-8, 65 pounds, with a scar on his left eyebrow. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers.
