Witness Recalls Baptism Day Drowning

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A man who witnessed a man drowning on the day he was meant to be baptized says the winds and seas were rough on the morning of the incident.

That was the difficult realization that 43-year-old Dion Cleare came to after helping search for Junior Jean for 30 minutes. Cleare was participating in a walk-a-thon on the morning of Saturday March 12th, when he noticed a man standing in the water, looking like he was praying.

23-year-old Junior Jean, a hotel worker, was on the beach for his baptism, and family members were scheduled to meet him there at 8PM. About an hour before that, Cleare was one of the last people to see him.

But later, as he and his son were on the return route, Cleare says two other women on the walk-a-thon shouted out that somebody was in the water calling out for help. The 43-year-old says he got one final glimpse.

Jean’s family is still puzzled and want more concrete answers. His girlfriend, 22-year-old Monica Bocage, describes him as a loving boyfriend.

Cleare tells Our News that on the day in question, his son, who is also a lifeguard, took up a higher vantage point, in hopes that they would spot the drowning man. Cleare himself went down in the water prepared to search but Jean hasn’t been seen since.

Witnesses called the police. A mobile patrol unit showed up, but couldn’t do any searching in the water in their tactical gear. Witnesses on the scene quickly began to lose hope.