Missing Mom And Son Return Home

A haggard Dorothy Eley sat next to her husband, David, in their Jamaica home Thursday afternoon. She vigilanty listened for the phone to ring, waiting for any updates about the whereabouts of her daughter and her six-year-old grandson.
Periodically, the phone did ring, but the calls were mostly well-wishers hoping the missing kin returned home safe. One caller offered Mrs. Eley verses from Corinthians, chapters two to six, in the Bible, and encouraged the grandmother to read the passages to settle her anxiety.
Bleary-eyed from two sleepless nights, the Eleys were anxiously hoping to hear that their daughter, Starr Purvis, who has a history of mental illness, and their six-year-old grandson, Rashawn, had arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, returning from a two-day odysessy that had taken them to Wilmington, Delaware, and back.
According to Ms. Eley, her daughter had left town with her grandson, without notification, on May 4, forcing her and her husband to contact the police, who issued two missing person reports.
After more than 24 hours of not knowing where their daughter and grandson were, the Eleys finally got a call to let them know they were safe.
Starr Purvis had taken her son out of school early sometime Tuesday afternoon of last week, and then the two absconded by bus, out of state.
To outsiders, the action may have looked erratic and reckless, but, after hearing the reason for the departure from their daughter, who for the past 18 years has been in and out of mental hospitals for treatment of depression, the Eleys believe their daughter just took a drastic step to protect her child.
"My grandson is afraid to go to PS 116," said Mrs. Eley, referring to the school Rashawn Purvis attends.
The grandmother added that bullies have abused the six-year-old so much in the past few weeks that he had become increasingly reluctant each morning to leave home and go to school. Despite notifying teachers at the school, Mrs. Eley insists that nothing was done to prevent young Rashawns torment.
"At age six, he does not want to go to school for the next 12 years," said David Eley about the extent of his grandsons fear.
At the height of the bullying, the couple says Rashawn came home with bruises and a torn shirt. However, she said they were not bad enough to require a medical treatment or a hospital visit.
Mrs. Eley speculates that Rashawn appealed to his mother to take him away from school because, "She was a little more soft-hearted."
She just wanted her child safe, said Mrs. Eley. Honoring his request, Purvis took him by bus to Wilmington, but without much of a plan: she did not have enough money to start a new life, let alone pay for shelter for the evening.
When Purvis and her son arrived in Delaware, she reached out to friends in the Wilmington area, who lent her money to get a motel room for the night. Eley also said that her daugther kept Rashawn safe and well fed, buying him McDonalds and a toy to play with.
The following day, Purvis called home to notify her parents. After learning their daughter and grandchild were safe, the Eleys agreed to wire them $130 to take a bus home Thursday afternoon. They arrived in the evening.
Police were investigating the disappearance until the two returned home Thursday. No charges have been filed.
"Its a shame that it was so bad for a six-year-old that he just wanted to go to another school away from New York," said Mr. Eley.