On Nov. 1, 2007, a 12-year-old boy named Jaliek Rainwalker went missing in upstate New York. His adoptive father was the last person to see him alive. The case was ruled a probable homicide, but no one has ever been charged. Times Union journalists reopen the cold case to search for answers.
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On Nov. 1, 2007, a 12-year-old boy named Jaliek Rainwalker went missing in upstate New York. His adoptive father was the last person to see him alive. The case was ruled a probable homicide, but no one has ever been charged. Times Union journalists reopen the cold case to search for answers.
There have been no updates in the investigation of Jaliek Rainwalker’s disappearance since late June 2022, when a tip launched a search near some ballfields in Troy, New York — more than 30 miles south of the upstate New York town where Jaliek was last seen. After 15 years, law enforcement insists the boy’s presumed homicide is still an active case. But they’ve never named a suspect, and they’re unwilling to reveal any more details.
If a suspect is ever named, the fact that Jaliek’s body has never been found creates a difficult situation for prosecutors. Based on what they’ve said publicly, if they were to pursue a case against someone involved in Jaliek’s disappearance, it would be what’s known as a “no-body” or bodiless prosecution. But how do you prove murder without the most direct evidence of murder — aka a body?
In this bonus episode of “Rainwalker: The Lost Boy,” we’ll look back at how we put this podcast together, and we’ll talk to an expert in bodiless prosecution.
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Rainwalker: The Lost Boy
On Nov. 1, 2007, a 12-year-old boy named Jaliek Rainwalker went missing in upstate New York. His adoptive father was the last person to see him alive. The case was ruled a probable homicide, but no one has ever been charged. Times Union journalists reopen the cold case to search for answers.
