PHOTO: Judge Joe S. Barkon, 2nd Judicial Circuit Court
By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
The Second Judicial Circuit Court in Liberia’s port City of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County has heard final argument in the case of the mysterious disappearance of a 3-day-old missing baby at the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC).
And Resident Judge Joe S. Barkon has set to give his final ruling into this case this Friday, September 4, 2020.
Final argument into the matter was heard on August 27, 2020 at the second Judicial Circuit Court in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
During trial proceedings, state lawyers headed by it County Attorney Cllr. Samuel K. Jacob produced seven general and three rebuttal witnesses.
While, the defense produced six witnesses including the principal defendant himself, James S.K. Dukpo.
Defendant Dukpo was charged with kidnapping a child, just three days old, from the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) Hospital on March 16, 2020.
Both state and defense lawyers are also expected to present their legal memorandum on or before the final Argument on Thursday August 27, 2020.
When the case was called, Defendant Dukpo pleaded guilty thereby joining issue with the state during the May term of court.
Both defendants Dukpo and Rachel David who the missing baby was left with were charged with kidnapping but the state dropped charges against Rachel David, in order to testify on behalf of the state.
On March 16, 2020, the 3-day-old baby went missing at LAC’s hospital when the baby’s mother, Mary Barcon, age 16, gave birth at Zondo Clinic on March 13, 2020.
But she was later transferred to LAC hospital due to a serious medical complications which the local clinic was unable to handle.
When the missing baby’s mother Mary Barcon gave birth on the 13 March this year, she became bleeding profusely. The child was said to be born depressed and could suck his mother’s breast for two days, something that prompted the health facility to transfer her to the LAC hospital.
She was then transferred there on March 15, 2020 and the baby went missing on the 16 of March 2020.
On March 16, 2020, the three baby old baby was left with Rachel David who admitted at the maternal ward of the hospital to look after him by the missing Child mother while she went to take bath.
Upon her return from the bathroom, she couldn’t see her baby and asked Rachel David whom she asked to look after her baby but Rachel David told her that a man walked in the health facility and was dressed in Ebola form and took the baby away.
According to Rachel David, when the unknown was taking the baby, she thought it was one of those doctor from the health facility that she didn’t talk.
Also on March 17, 2020, residents of Zondo Town stormed the LAC health facility and blocking both entrances of the health facility demanding its management to produce the living body of the three-day-old baby but to no avail.
In March 2019, an employee of LAC believed to be in his late 40s was admitted at LAC hospital but went missing and after a weeks of thorough search his body was discovered between Hodgkin and hospital Camps in the same month.
The LAC hospital has securities assigned at its facility, but the whereabouts of the patient remain unknown and it has made residents very worried.