Appeal to kidnappers

WE WOULD like to believe that the kidnappers of ailing 21-year-old Kerri Greaves and six-year-old Mark Prescott are not totally devoid of human compassion and empathy and, on that basis, we dare to hope that they would respond to the desperate appeals being made to free their two young victims. Seven days after he was snatched outside the San Fernando Boys RC School, Prescott may have already suffered a mental anguish beyond repair. The terrifying ordeal at the hands of his abductors may well scar the little boy psychologically for the rest of his life.

At the innocent age of six, children are blithe and trusting spirits who feel that the world is a pleasant and friendly place, holding no real dangers for them. Plucked out of that comfortable normalcy, Prescott may now be experiencing a trauma that could damage him mentally for a long, long time. If his kidnappers have any feeling of sympathy left in them, and we expect that they do, the harm they are inflicting on their young and blameless victim should be something for them to think about. We also appeal to those holding Mark captive, to please set him free.

On the same basis, but even more urgently, we appeal not only for the release but also for the life of Kerri Greaves whose physical condition is deteriorating in the confinement of her abductors. Kerri suffers from a defective kidney and acute allergies and, deprived of her medication, she now requires urgent medical attention. Every hour the 21-year-old is kept captive, increases the danger to her life. We refuse to believe that her kidnappers can be so callous or cold-blooded that they would care nothing for the suffering of their innocent victim whose very life now lies in their hands.

Newsday shares the agony of Kerri's mother, Debra Ravello-Greaves, who is employed as a senior reporter on our paper, and we join in her desperate appeal to the kidnappers to set her critically ailing daughter free. It is clear that the abductors are fully aware of Kerri's serious condition as they themselves pointed out their victim was bloated and very ill when they contacted her father, Neal Greaves, on Monday night to renew their demand for a $500,000 ransom. Greaves said when he told the kidnappers that his family was poor and could not meet their demand, they told him, "Find the money."

The families of both these kidnap victims apparently do not have the financial resources to pay the ransom demand. It seems then that the situation in both cases has resolved itself into a kind of stalemate. Where and how will it end? If we are to take the comments of Neale Greaves seriously, the abduction of his daughter is not a simple or straightforward kidnapping. Based on the information he has received, Greaves observed there are "long, long connections and high people involved." Members of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, he added, are making inroads in their investigations, but continue to meet stumbling blocks. What really is this all about, and who are the "high people" involved in holding his church-going daughter for ransom?

The fact that the AKS appears to be making no headway in their effort to solve these two kidnappings will only serve to generate greater apprehension within our society, particularly now that little children have joined the list of victims. Kidnappings take a horrible toll on both victims and their families. In these two cases, the situation is exceedingly bad and it now seems our best bet is to rely on whatever humanitarian feeling may exist among the abductors, joining the appeal to set their victims free.