Parental Abduction on Feb 1, 1995, by Nilda M. Keene, mother, of minors James Rogers Keene, 7, and Grace Josephine Keene, 10, from the home of their father, James Jefferson Keene

by James J. Keene, Ph.D., victim parent

1998 begins a period where this particular victim father was running out of ideas. I had tried to do all that law enforcement agencies and the book on Family Abduction had advised.

Feb. 22, 1998. Spreadsheet itemization of "Abducted Children Recovery Costs", which from specific receipts exceeded $27,000.00, up to that time, for categories such as legal, travel and telephone bills.

LETTERS TO NOWHERE

Previous experience had showed me that any effort I made to contact my children resulted in a further episode of child abuse of my children by the Davis-Flores gang. This situation seems to have been crafted to motivate me to abstain from any further attempts to dialogue with my children to spare them further misery.

Another pattern has been the communciations black-out where my letters appear to go "nowhere." On one ocassion, my daugther could not say if a recent letter was typed or hand-written, indicating to me that she never saw it. A father may run of out good ideas, but will not give up trying to help his own children.

These considerations, plus a real sense of frustration on my part, led to a decreased frequency of letters. When I did write in a renewed attempt to establish some two-way communication, I sort of guessed that the children might have greater understanding (cognitive development) as time passed. As a whole, my letters to my kidnapped children tried every conceivable approach I could think of, from humor to simple talk of love to various queries and analysis.

In summary, some of these letters to my children are presented here, since my own children may never have seen them before and might come to see them. However, their text only represents my efforts at the time and is not necessarily the best or most advisable approach in the general case.

Sep. 18, 1998. Hand-written letter.

Dear Grace and James,
Do you desire these things: love, security, freedom, truth about yourselves, truth about your family, knowledge about yourselves and family, honor, respect, life without shame, decency, nearness to God, peace in your heart, purity in your soul, health, a loving parent, a kind, trustworthy, responsible and healthy parent, joy and zest in your life, knowledge of right and wrong, ability to meet the challenges of life, healing, life without fear, and justice?
Can you each live without these things? I love you each more than you can know, Dad
[My address, phone and email address included.]

Oct. 13, 1998. Copy of Sep. 18. 1998 letter resent.

Nov. 10, 1998. Copy of Sep. 18. 1998 letter resent.

Nov. 11, 1998. Copy of Sep. 18. 1998 letter resent with reply to letters from my kids dated Nov. 3 which were just received. In these letters, it appears that my previous letters do not exist, so I added to yet another copy of the Sep. 18 letter:

Dearest ones: Jimmy and Grace - thanks for your Nov. 3 letter. You ask "How am I?" It is a very sad day to learn that (1) you didn't receive my letters, or (2) you choose to ignore them. Which is it? All my love to you, Your Father

Nov. 12, 1998. Hand-written letter. Material in brackets added now.

Dearly Beloved Jimmy & Grace,
There is more to say about your Nov. 3 letters, but the most important may be: You both show a bad case of "kidnapped children syndrome". You must get help. You are not alone. What has happened to you was written down in books well before your abduction. I enclose two pages [71 & 72] from a U.S. government publication by experts [Family Abduction], which you should read carefully.
Your captures [sic] have succeeded to prevent any meaningful communication between you and your parent since your abduction. This cutoff of communication between child and parent is extremely traumatic, as you can see, and part of the kidnappers' plan.
They don't want you to have a parent anymore; they think you're better being orphans. Sorry, I don't accept that. You write to me as if I am just a pen-pal. Sorry, that is disrespectful to your father, who gave you life and raised you with his kind, tender hands since the day your were born.
Now read these pages [enclosed], think and pray about every word. I have had the idea of writing a book on your abduction. Would you like to help write it? Perhaps with time your mother, too, will set down on paper for the book the fabric of delusions and lies she has used to keep parent and child wrongfully separated. What a great healing process this might be! Then, of course, the movie [my children know well my tongue-in-cheek sense of humor]. Jimmy, do you have a favorite actor to play you? How about you, Grace? To play you would be tough for an actor. They would have to show the inner pain when acting scared and depressed and later be like robots without any feelings. What do you think? Love, Dad

SILENCE, THEN...

For better or worse, I tried a new strategy which was definitely risky. Mainly, to question some very basic values. This is very difficult to do under the best of conditions, much less the worst of conditions -- no direct knowledge of what my children have experienced exactly or how they have developed or not. In any case, a father is supposed to educate children about ideas and family values, so I tried not to be "popular" but helpful in trying to speak the truth to them.

June 2, 1999. Trying a new strategy, I wrote to Grace and Jimmy, saying, in part:

I love you both, my dear children. Alas, I have not received any reply to any of my letters since your kidnapping...
It seems you have rejected your father, who has done nothing to harm you or anyone else in his entire life. Thus, your rejection is wrongful and unjust.
Since you have never replied to me I will try my best not to write any more. It seems I am not wanted by my children. You will not have to read about how I think of you every day... Of course, I do not blame you for any of this...
Meanwhile, I will remain your loving, loyal and faithful parent and every day 'doing my job' (in Grace's words) as your father, as I have before and after you were kidnapped and as I will continue to do as long as I live..."

Sept. 28, 1999. Letters from Grace and Jimmy, which contained some of their gorgeous drawings. Note the "vice" a kidnapped child is put in. Grace writes:

Dearest Dad,
I don't know how I will beg your forgiveness for not writing to you. Please forgive me and don't be angry or sad. I didn't write to you because I was confused about what to write and I didn't want you to feel bad. But then I decided that I must somehow tell you that I did not want to cut our communication or stop talking to you out of anger. I am not angry with you. I am very proud and glad that I have you as a father. When I received your last letter I was very sad because I realized that by not writing to you I was making you feel worse than you would have felt otherwise. So, now I am willing to talk about whatever you want me to (I remember, in one of your letters, you mentioned that).

Once again, these persecuted children feel they have to "apologize" when they have done no wrong. They are victims being used by a most unsavory group of people.

This may be the first indication of an actual reply to a letter. And what can a father say, to see his daughter write such tortured words, reflecting the needless cruelty to which she has been wrongfully subjected by the Davis-Flores gang. Grace adds a story of what she is "most proud of" about me -- her father, closing with "I felt very proud of you then, and I thought you deserved to know it". Jimmy writes:

Dear Dad, I am very sorry I haven't written in so long. I will make a long letter and try to write as much as possible.

As appropriate for that age (or any age), he goes on to talk about pets, etc.

Nov. 1, 1999. Dad to Grace Josephine. 3-page typed letter.

Nov. 1, 1999. Dad to James Rogers. 3-page typed letter.

TOP TEN LISTS A LA DAVID LETTERMAN FOR KIDNAPPED CHILDREN

Apr. 10, 2000. Humorous letter to my kids.
JIMMY AND GRACE'S TOP TEN BENEFITS OF KIDNAPPING CHILDREN

Apr. 12, 2000. Humorous letter to my kids.
TOP TEN AMAZING DISCOVERIES BY JAMES R. KEENE AND GRACE J. KEENE

June 2, 2000. Date on letter from Nilda Davis-Flores, postmarked. More on this.

June 6, 2000. Humorous letter to my kids.
TOP TEN "WHAT ABOUT YOUR FATHER" LIES

June 7, 2000. Humorous letter to my kids.
TOP TEN SIGNS YOUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED

July 3, 2000. Postmark of letter dated June 2, 2000, from "Nilda M. Keene". I sent a reply.

July 31, 2000. Letter from "Nilda Keene".

Aug. 25, 2000. Reply to Nilda. This reply was sent in an envelope addressed to my daughter, Grace, with this hand-written in the upper margen: "Dear Beloved Grace: Please hold the hand of your X-mom and read to her this letter. Read slowly and clearly, then give her the letter and leave her alone to think. Thanks! Love, Dad." Also enclosed was a letter to my son.

Dec. 15, 2000. Letter to nowhere or to kids. Who knows?

Dear Grace and Jimmy, I love you both very much. Well, the big time of the year is coming up -- the sixth (!) anniversary of your kidnapping on Feb. 1, 2001. It is always a sad time because I know your situation must be very bad. You cannot even communicate privately with you own father. Must be very bad. You cannot participate in your father's life. Must be very bad. Before you were kidnapped and detained by your former mother, you had many abilities. Now you are not able to do even the simple essential things. Yes, your situation must be very bad. You seem to have moved to a place that I don't even know where it is. You seem to have no freedom. Must be very bad. My heart goes out to you. It is a duty for children to be a part of their parent's life. You seem to be unable to do this. You must be suffering under severe oppression and it must be very bad.
This failure to be a part of your parent's life has brought you much harm and I expect you will regret this failure for the rest of your life. Yes, my heart goes out to you as we share, if nothing else, this suffering on the upcoming completion of the sixth year of your captivity. How shall we "celebrate" this sad day -- Feb. 1, 2001. Any ideas? You and I can mourn the losses of 365 x 6 days to togetherness, learning, fun, love, parenting, receiving parental care and all that we will never know or have again, perhaps by lighting six candles to burn all day and by praying for each other saying, at least once for each year, the "remover of difficulties" prayer.
Love always, Dad
P.S. I have a Centurion in "Privateer" and have completed the game. Yes, I know about the "alien artifact" now. In "Civilization," I have launched space craft. Do you remember the way "Civilization" works? Here's an example: "Growing up" requires "Participation in Parent's Life".

In later months, I also sent cartoons showing situations and a letter to the adults asking if they would be so kind as to say where they have put "the bodies" of my children.

Sep. 16, 2001. The Times newspaper, Trenton, NJ, article "A faith of unity brings people together" By JOSEPH DEE, which reports in part:

"I came all the way from Willingboro," said Nilda Keene. "I found the service extremely uplifting and helpful." Keene said she is a Baha'i and is in the process of moving to the United States from Puerto Rico.

I found this article as a result of a google.com search for "keene baha'i" later on Jan. 13, 2003. I was not informed, of course, about the whereabouts of my children. Notice how Nilda is still using the Keene name despite my objection. But what is one more fraud, in a list of so many? Will my children ever have a sane perspective on right and wrong?

Nov. 10, 2001. My mother, Josephine Agnes Keene, passed away leaving an inheritance for her beloved grandchildren who were still missing. My daughter, Grace Josephine, is named after two of her grandmothers. So the cruelty to my children continues, as it does every day.

INTERNET PRIVATE EYE

Apr. 24, 2002. I found evidence that "Nilda Keene" is in NJ at or near Pedro's house in Willingboro. A web page from Doctor Finder of the http://www.ama-assn.org stated that she is "INACTIVE" as her status. I checked with the Maryland licensing board for physicians and her license is listed as "NONRENEWED." I sent an email to the ama-assn using their contact form on their site to ask the *date* associated with their data record. My guess was that she is living at Pedro's house. As in the past, her mental health may not be good enough for her to live alone (without a care-giver -- her brother -- right there).

Apr. 24, 2002. Found mention of my children on Burlington County Library, NJ, web page, which said in part:

In April the library gallery will feature portraits and other paintings of people in action by Grace and James Keene of WIllingboro. The Keenes, brother and sister, were born in Puerto Rico and exhibited at the Centro de Bellas Artes before moving to New Jersey. They work in acrylics and watercolor paint, charcoal, oil pastels and watercolor pencil.

Apr. 28, 2002. Found the addresses of several Baha'i friends, from when we lived in that area of NJ (1989-1993), and contacted at least one of them by email.

May 5, 2002. Press Release: Doctor Offers Reward For Missing Children.

May 16, 2002. I found my children were not enrolled in the Willingboro public schools.

I called the superintendent's office in Willingboro on Weds. and talked with the receptionist there. I returned the call again today and had to leave a message. Later today, an administrator who was very helpful called me. She said that the children were not enrolled in the school there nor were they registered with the system as home schooling students. So the mystery continues.
At least I am not alone and my brothers can plainly see the kind of abuse and cruelty the children receive every single day at the hands of these wicked people, who are apparently too insecure to allow these prisoners to even interact with other children, much less their own family.

MISSING KEENE KIDS WEB SITE

May 24, 2002. Missing Keene Kids web site started.

Aug 14, 2002. Via email, I ordered a Corporate Connoisseur gift basket from jestnotes@errol.com and a lovely floral arrangement from Graysonflowers@aol.com to be delivered to my children at the residence of Pedro Davis-Flores in Willingboro, NJ, as described in The Davis-Flores Gang. The note to my kids with these gifts was:

Hi, This is your Dad. I love you, Grace. I love you, Jimmy. Your grandmother Keene loves you. She passed away. She left you some money. Your Uncle wants to talk with you about that. I want to chat with you, too. Please email me at keenej@cwdom.dm
Also, check out my new web site ... at https://www.angelfire.com/space/netcensus/ and a special web site http://mypages.cwdom.dm/keenej/missing.html about you. I read about the exhibition of your art at the Burlington County Library. Congratulations! All My Love, Dad

Jan. 10, 2003. Photos of kids added to Missing Keene Kids web site.

Jan. 13, 2003. Another stunning discovery found via internet research. Stay tuned for the results of that news.

We are up to the present. Now to fill in gaps. There is lots more folks!

Copyright © 2003 James J. Keene

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