'Liam, We Love You So Much, Please Come Home': A LI Mother's Desperate Plea To Her Missing Son, 14

MORICHES, NY — A Moriches mother has sent a desperate plea to her son, 14, missing since Friday: "'Liam, we love you so much. Please come home."

According to Suffolk County police, Liam Stark was last seen leaving William Floyd High School property and going into Dunkin', located at 490 Mastic Road, at about 7:10 a.m. on Friday.

He was reported missing by family at approximately 2:30 p.m. the same day, police said.

Liam is white, 5-feet, 5 inches tall and 155 lbs. with blonde hair and brown eyes, police said. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with navy blue sweatpants and black sneakers, police said.

Speaking with Patch Tuesday, Christy Stark, Liam's heartbroken mother, broke down in tears as she set off alone to scour the woods, searching for her boy.

On Friday, Stark said her older son dropped Liam off at school just after 7 a.m. "He got out of the car and my older son drove away," she said.

Stark said she didn't realize that her son hadn't attended classes until her other son called after school to tell her that Liam wasn't on the bus. At first, she told her son to look around the bus. "Maybe he's slouched down in a seat in the back," she said.

But when her other son was dropped off at 2:15 p.m., he told her that Liam hadn't been on the bus at all.

At first, Stark said, she wasn't overly concerned; she thought maybe Liam had stayed at school for extra help.

But then, she called the school and was told there was no extra help offered on Fridays — and Liam had not swiped in for school at all that day.

"That's when the alarms went off," she said. "I said, 'I have to call the police!'"

At that point, she said, her son had been missing from 7 a.m. until about 2:25 p.m. when she made the 911 call. "He had all that time to be wandering," she said. "We were really late to the game, to find him."

Her son, she said, has had past trauma and has been working through some difficult issues. "Teens, on the whole, are just finding themselves and learning how to process emotion," she said. "He has been struggling for awhile."

Stark believes that her son may have had "a feeling of wanting to prove to himself that he can make it on his own. He has a lot of emotional supports in place and maybe he thought, 'I don't need supports.' But, if you're going to do something like this, of course you do."

Stark has five children, ranging in age from 22 to 9; his siblings want to see their beloved brother home safe.

Since Friday, Stark said she has been piecing together her son's path, poring through camera footage and sightings. "We were able to follow Liam's steps from school to Dunkin' to the CVS in Shirley, where he dumped his books," she said. "Then, he sort of wandered next door to a gas station and headed off to Kohl’s across street."

Stark said she thinks it's likely he may have taken clothes from Kohl's because, in a next video from OK Petroleum in Brookhaven on Montauk Highway, his backpack, now emptied of books, appears to be "really full. It looks like it's filled with clothes," she said.

Another woman said she believed she saw Liam on Saturday morning, walking down Northern Boulevard, heading east toward William Floyd Parkway, across from the Long Island Rail Road station, where it's possible he may have gotten onto a train.

"It was very clear, at that point, that Liam was definitely walking completely on his own," she said. "That Saturday morning sighting is the last we've had."

Frantic, Stark has been unable to sleep and eat; she has been searching the woods, printing up flyers, praying for her son's safe return. "I keep taking moments throughout the day to sit still and send love to his heart," she said. "Maybe subconsciously, he senses that."

And even though her teenaged son may think he's out on an adventure of sorts: "We're seeing the reality of this. It's terrifying. He's very much at risk of harm. This morning it was 48 degrees. He's out in the elements with no shelter, no food. But he's probably not seeing it from that point of view."

The community, she said, has opened its arms to help, bringing food and printing flyers.

But so far, after seeing Liam near the LIRR station, there has been no confirmation that he actually did board a train — and no further sightings. "He's managed to evade people," she said.

Stark wanted to thank the many who've offered comfort, hope and warm food for her children during her darkest hours. "Everyone's come together; it's so beautiful. How can I grocery shop, cook dinner? All I can do is think of my son — is he dehydrated, hypothermic?"

Her son, she said, loves gardening. "He has a greenhouse in the backyard and a little farm area, fenced in, that he made in backyard. To connect with him I’m spending time back there — he's got all sorts of vegetables and herbs. He labels them and spends all of his free time researching his gardening. He loves all of that, being outdoors. When he has a stressful day or is feeling difficult emotions he says, 'I'll be out in my greenhouse.'"

Liam, she said, also absolutely loves animals. "When he sees them, you can watch him just light up," Stark said.

Her son had just joined the ROTC, and was proud of his uniform — the photo shown was taken just a week before he disappeared.

Her voice filled with tears, Stark said she has a message for her boy: "Nothing you are struggling with is bigger than my love," she said. "And nobody needs to struggle alone."

She added that she is "beyond honored to be a mom, and to be able to just guide my kids and be there for them. If it means standing by their sides as they crumble, at their lowest point, it's my honor to be there. It's not a job, not a responsibility. It's a calling for moms. It's our DNA."

Since he's been gone, Stark said she lies down in her son's bed at night, reading his books, needing to feel connected to her boy.

Since she learned he'd never attended school Friday, Stark said she's been frantic. "It's heartbreaking and completely exhausting. I can't eat, I'm sick to my stomach, round the clock. I'm crying, then hopeful, then I feel like I lost him. My mind starts running. I'm in a constant state of flight or flight."

She added: "How do you listen to the wind against your windows at night — and know your child is probably in the woods somewhere? How can I sleep in a nice, warm house. I'm wondering, 'Is he okay? Is he freezing?'"

And so she's taken to searching the woods at night, armed with a big flashlight and desperate hope.

She's met many homeless, sleeping in tents, and shared her son's story and photo — she met one man, slightly disheveled, late at night on a bicycle who took a stack of flyers and began handing them out. "That's love," she said.

On Tuesday, Stark offered an update on social media: "First of all, thank you, for the love, help, support and exposure. Just, wow. Still not much in the way of sightings/locations."

Stark said she is looking for tips regarding locations of homeless camps that are off the main road — in the woods, or a bit out of sight of drivers — that he may have connected with, in the Mastic, Shirley, Brookhaven, Bellport or Patchogue areas.

"Not a shelter, because he wouldn’t be looking to do that," Stark said. But a tent encampment is a possibility, she said, because while her son may want to prove his independence, he also craves community.

"I want to make a list and start visiting those places to check for him. I also am planning on bringing some socks, blankets, etc. with me so that I can help keep others warm as I continue my search. If anyone feels compelled to do the same, I think that’s great. You’re all helping me so much and I’d love to see us using this awful situation to help others in need along the way," she said.

And to her precious son, Liam, Stark echoed the words that have been a drumbeat in her heart: "We love you. Please, come home."

If you see Liam, Stark said to call 911 immediately. Detectives are asking anyone with information on Liam's location to call 911 or the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752.