Jayleb-Che Dean has been missing for more than 45 days, since he was last seen at Waiōtapu Springs. According to the Bay of Plenty Police, the search has been suspended, and his family has reached out to divers in Rotorua to help find their brother.
Sister Alia Cowley says, “I think that having worship has kept our family strong. We put all our trust in God, we put all our faith in God, and it brings us together every single night. I think that’s special in itself.”
Jayleb-Che’s whānau have also been returning to Waiotapu frequently to check the area and to hang new posters, keeping their own search for Jayleb-Che alive.
Their whānau also came to support Alia as she took the stage for Little Theatre, as this was something Jayleb loved.
Mal McKenzie says, “Standing in front of Jay’s family wasn’t easy. When I heard they were coming I was completely shocked — yes, because their child, their brother, wasn’t here.”
It was at this time last year that Jayleb-Che and Mal McKenzie stood side by side at the Little Theatre. Now, this year, Mal has taken over as director of the show.
“Jay has been running these shows for a long time. He’s the one who hosts them, the one who energises the audience — the real hype-man, right? All of that, that quality, is now missing from this performance group,” McKenzie says.
Te Rongorito Temarama-Swinkles says, “I nearly cried on stage, but the performance went well tonight. I’m grateful to the whānau for their support of this event, even though Jayleb is gone.
“I can clearly feel that he was the one who first opened this path for me; I miss him so very much.”
McKenzie says, “We are still sad because he hasn’t come back yet — he still hasn’t returned. We have to wake up every morning, go through each day, doing our everyday tasks, and that isn’t easy. Every day our thoughts turn to our friend.”
Cowley says, “We know that we’ll find Jayleb in God’s timing. I think a huge part of this journey has been our faith in God and the growth we’ve experienced over the last eight weeks.”