Zinah Jennings in court, family holds out hope for Amir’s safe return.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO/AP) — 22 year old Zinah Jennings appeared in court in Richland County, Wednesday morning. This comes after her defense attorney, Gregory Collins, filed a motion for a hearing. The grounds for that motion have not been released. Zinah’s son, Amir Jennings, has been missing since the Thanksgiving holiday. Amir’s grandmother, Jocelyn Jennings Nelson, told the Associated Press Wednesday, that she’s holding out hope the boy will be found alive. Jocelyn Jennings Nelson also told the Associated Press that she is sure her daughter did nothing to harm the boy. Police have said 22-year-old Zinah Jennings has given them conflicting accounts about the boy’s whereabouts and she has been charged with lying to investigators. Amir Jennings was 18 months old when the grandmother reported him and his mother missing in December. The mother resurfaced at Christmas but without the boy. Police this week said they found what appear to be bloody clothes in Jennings’ car. Nelson says her daughter doesn’t trust police and may not fully understand the seriousness of the search for her son.