Missing Dallas man's case distressing Louisiana mother
DALLAS - Eva Celestine-Alexander tearfully admitted that people who video call see her burgundy bedroom wall. It's where she sits, tries to sleep, prays, and scrounges for answers about her missing son, Rakim Jamal Celestine.
"I keep getting rejected from Dallas," Celestine-Alexander said. "And if I can't I go out there to find him, then I stay right here in these burgundy walls."
Her son was 33 years old when he went missing on February 7, 2023. It was the last time she spoke with him. Celestine-Alexander said she didn't want him to come to Dallas, but her youngest of four was determined to go to North Texas. She gave him a cell phone and footed the bill to stay in touch with him.
"And he made it his business to talk to me all the time," she said.
Unanswered calls turned into concern for Celestine-Alexander. A call from one of her son's friends underscored in alarm eventually brought her to Dallas and a journey of uncertainty.
Celestine was a rapper who went by the name "Mr. Celestine Mafia." His mother said people in Dallas called him Lafayette. His music and friends considered him edgy, so Celestine-Alexander does not believe the Dallas Police Department is taking his disappearance seriously.
DPD said the case is assigned to the Missing Persons division. Police said the case is what they describe as "a want to talk to" because Celestine is an adult, and they haven't seen evidence of foul play.
His mother said the streets are speaking to her. Theories range from her son and a friend incidentally witnessing a murder on a Dallas roadway to Celestine becoming the victim of being too much of a lady's man.
"Rakim, if you can find a way to check your messages. Please call your mommy. I'm waiting on you," Celestine-Alexander said.
The 61-year-old still calls the cell phone number she pays for to stay in touch with her missing son. She continues to leave messages, hoping he will respond one day.
The Lafayette, Louisiana, mother is appealing to anyone to provide information to police to give her answers. In the meantime, she also speaks to her son in case he can see or hear her words.
"I've been like this for a whole year waking up--crying, looking for you," she said. "I've been to Dallas numerous times--- riding around looking for you, and I can't find you, papi. And I need you so bad because I can't breathe without you."