Missing toddler’s Grandmother believes he is still alive

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “Not a day goes by that I don’t hope and expect for the door bell to ring and somone tell me Amir has been found and he will be brought home to us,” says Jocelyn Jennings. Jocelyn Jennings fought back tears Thursday afternoon while talking about the more than two months that she has spent without her grandson, Amir Jennings. “He’s a baby, he has needs, he needs to be fed, he needs medical attention,” says Jennings. Amir was 18 months old when he went missing, according to police. “He’s now 20 months old, his needs have not changed,” says Jennings. Amir’s mother Zinah Jennings, is currently behind bars after police say she repeatedly lied to them about Amir’s whereabouts. Jocelyn Jennings says despite some of the negative stories on social media and the media about her daughter, to her Zinah was a loving, doting mother. However, Jocelyn says she doesn’t know what happened in her daugher’s life to make her turn to a dark place. “I don’t know why she is unwilling to tell or if she is able to tell where Amir is or where she left him,” says Jennings. Jocelyn Jennings went on to say because of the events of the past few months, she has lost not only her daughter, but her grandson as well. But she is holding out hope. “I believe Amir is alive,” says Jennings. She also says she prays that he is being taken care of and will be brought home safe, soon. Moments after the press conference, friends, family and even complete strangers gathered for a prayer vigil for Amir and Zinah at Frances Burns United Methodist Church. Pastor Sheila Elliott organized the event. “God asks something of us, faith plus works,” says Pastor, Sheila Elliott of Frances Burns United Methodist Church. Pastor Elliott says the story of Amir Jennings has weighed heavy on her heart for months now. “I don’t have children of my own I am a Pastor and I work with kids,” says Pastor Elliott Yet she wanted to do more. “To sit and watch the story night after night on the news and to look at the face of his mother, the sadness in her eyes it wasn’t enough for me to just sit and look at the television and be sad and to be angry or to be upset,” says Pastor Elliott “I know that so much of this life seems un-redeemable, but as a pastor and a preacher I believe that with God, God can redeem it,” says Pastor Elliott. Thursday night, Pastor Elliott along with members of her church, the Jennings family and the community gathered in prayer. “It is about the community coming together on one accord coming together for what we believe to be true that wherever Amir is that God is there with him,” says Pastor Elliott. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Amir Jennings, you are asked to contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME SC.