Mother of Missing Fil-Am Student Appeals for Him to Come Home
AS POLICE END SEARCH
Despite the police’s decision to end the search for John Fernandez, the missing Filipino-American Seton Hall student, his mother is still hoping that she’ll still be able to locate her son.
In a letter to her son published on the FilAm, Ninia Fernandez vowed to look for John — or JP to her family and close friends — who vanished on December 13, 2015, leaving behind a suicide note.
“I am praying that I will not run out of space on the wall for my counting sticks before you decide to come back home,” Ninia told John in the letter. “Your sisters have been sleeping in the living room waiting for you.”
John was reported missing by Patch.com, quoting township police. He was described in the news report as “Filipino male, 5’10 with a thin build, and black hair.”
Ninia, in a report on the FilAm, described John, the third of four children, as a “socially awkward” individual who is “very bright,” and loves to read manga comic books.
John is a Seton Hall scholar, majoring in Accounting, and is due to graduate in May of this year.
In her letter, Ninia said she promised herself not to do four things until John comes back: scuba dive, as John is her “scuba buddy”; cook John’s favorite ramen until he shows up at the dinner table; prepare any “amazing races Christmas morning”; and eat grapes anymore (“I end up crying each time I see grapes because it reminds me of our happy moments”).
“I miss how you just simply give me a hug when I cry. I need you to give me a big hug right now. The way you comfort me with your words, and your hug is something I will not forget,” Ninia pleaded to her son in the letter.
She also urged John to “give me another sign that I could hold on to. I will be overjoyed if you could just send me a short text. I would love for you to go home.”
“Don’t be scared. Everything is taken care of. Nothing can overwhelm our love for you. However, if you are not ready yet, I understand, just let me know you are OK,” Ninia added.
According to the police, the search for John would resume if new evidence emerges. —KBK, GMA News