Lost at sea: Mom wishes she had a body to bury

Vera Levy, a 66-year-old fish vendor of Whitehouse in Westmoreland, has been waiting 17 years to get closure after the disappearance of her son, Gregory Beckford, at sea in 2001.

"Every time I think of my son's death, I said it would be better that I have a body to bury," Levy said, who has been working as a fish vendor at the Whitehouse fishing village for 45 years.

"I would feel much better than I am feeling 17 years after to know that I have at least a grave to look on and to say, 'That's my son', but there are no remains of his body to bury," she told the WESTERN STAR.

The mother of 11 said another of her sons, Karam Beckford, almost suffered a similar fate as that of his brother Gregory.

"One of my other sons, Karam, went out on his regular journey to fish sometime between July and August this year and drifted for 35 days at sea until he ended up in Belize," Levy said.

Prior to knowing that her son Karam was alive and safe in Belize, Levy said she kept looking out to sea, hoping that her son would come to shore after being at sea for close to a month.

"I was worried for my son, hoping and praying that I would not lose him in the same manner his brother disappeared."

"I prayed and asked God for a vision for my son who had drifted at sea, and by the time I was finished praying, I received a telephone call telling me that my son is alive and is in Belize, after which I said, 'Thank you, Jesus. You have done a great job for me'," Levy recalled.