Abandoned by parents in Jamaica, Traverse City teen finds hope in foster care

September 11, 2024 Up North Live: Abandoned by parents in Jamaica, Traverse City teen finds hope in foster care
Programs Mentioned: Atlantis Leadership Academy

Additional reading: Detroit Free Press: ‘Finally, he’s being seen’: Michigan boy abandoned by adopted parents finds new home

Author: Alli Baxter

Elijah, a survivor of Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica, was scheduled to have a hearing in Grand Traverse County Family Court on September 11, 2024

Elijah was abandoned in Jamaica by his wealthy adoptive parents

Dawn Post, Elijah’s attorney, has been staying with Elijah since he returned to the United States

A circuit court referee went on the record to report that the hearing was waived and Elijah would be placed with Child Protective Services, followed by a foster care placement

Post, Paris Hilton, and other child advocates had reportedly spent months reaching out to officials in Michigan on Elijah’s behalf, but they received no response

“Sources UpNorthLive spoke to said the parents told them they were under the impression if they went to Jamaica they would be arrested.”

More than a dozen people attended Elijah’s hearing, including TTI survivor and advocate Jenn Marie Newton

Elijah’s parental abandonment has not been legally recognized by the court yet, but a pretrial will be scheduled