Prayer vigil planned for Amir Jennings

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Thursday, friends along with family, even complete strangers will gather at Frances Burns United Methodist Church off of Farrow Road for a prayer vigil for Amir Jennings. Jocelyn Jennings says the church is planning the event, but she is helping them. This is just another showing of how the community is banding together in the search for little Amir. “All we can do is pray and just hope that we find him,” says Mary Louise Wright, a former caretaker for Amir Jennings. Mary Louise Wright says she is praying for the safe return of missing toddler Amir Jennings, whom she cared for as a baby. “I had him every morning, I changed his diapers, I fed him, I took care of him,” says Wright. Mary Louise recalls some of her fondest memories of Amir. “He had a thing about him where he liked to whistle, so I would whistle with him and when his grandma would come in, she would whistle and then he would whistle, he just loved to sit and whistle,” says Wright. Yet this past Sunday, the story was much different as she joined others in the community and members of the “Find Amir Jennings” Facebook group to post fliers with Amir’s picture that read, “Have you seen me?,” This, after police say the toddler has been missing since Thanksgiving. “You see it all over, you know? And the baby’s are just innocent,” says Wright. The story of Amir Jennings has captured the hearts of many in the Midlands and this Thursday many of those will gather at Frances Burns Methodist Church to pray for Amir and his mother Zinah Jennings. Zinah remains behind bars charged with Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child after police say she repeatedly lied about Amir’s whereabouts. She has since stopped communicating with police and with every passing day of silence, another day passes with no sign of Amir. But still, those like Mary Louise Wright are holding out hope. “Wherever he is, there’s some angels gonna be on his shoulders and bring him back home to us,” says Wright. Thursday’s prayer vigil at Frances Burns Methodist Church on Farrow Road will take place between 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.