A Haitian man who found a baby left for dead in a bin, has taken legal steps to adopt the child.
Jimmy Amisial, who spent his teenage years volunteering at an orphanage near his home in Haiti returned back on holiday in 2017 to visit the kids and bring them gifts. On his way home from going to help in a nearby orphanage, he saw a crowd of people gathered and thought he heard the cry of what sounded like an abandoned baby. He pressed through to see what was amiss.
To his greatest surprise, it was a four-month-old baby boy covered in ants and clearly distressed. The crowd of people was staring and reluctant to help.
22-year-old Amisial, who was a student at the time, picked up the boy and took him home to his mother, Elicie Jean, 66. They cleaned and fed him milk, before seeking medical attention.
According to reports, a police investigation launched to find the parents of the boy was unsuccessful as they were never found.
This did not deter Amisial who went ahead to name the little one Emilio Angel Jeremiah and was asked by a judge if he could become the boy’s legal guardian.
Emilio has spent the last few years living in Haiti with Elicie, while Jimmy finishes studying at Texas State University.
Now 27, Jimmy has been splitting his time between America and Gonaives, Haiti, to visit the child and has formally applied to adopt Emilio as he wants to be his dad.
Amisial, who is studying communication and electronic media, said: “When I found him, he was four months old – now he’s nearly five. It’s been an incredible journey and watching him grow up has been so rewarding – I’m very proud of him.”
He continued: “I had to do what I had to do when no one else wanted to do it, and I’m so grateful for the past four and a half years.”
“I truly do feel like a father, and I’m excited to put pen to paper and make Emilio my son – I just need to raise the money first.
I’m glad I got the opportunity to transform his life from being abandoned in the trash to being a wonderful treasure.”
He recalls the moment he came across baby Emilio and his disbelief at finding a baby in a bin.
“When I woke up that day, I was totally unaware that my life was about to change forever,” Jimmy said.
