By Janice K. Neal-Vincent, Ph.D.,
Contributing Writer,
It’s been better than a week and a half since Dau (pronounced as Dow) Mabil was last seen by his wife, Karissa Bowley, and neighboring friends. He disappeared from their residence in the Belhaven Heights community. “Dau texted me at 11:58 a.m. last Monday that he was going for a walk and was leaving his phone on the charger. I texted him in the afternoon, then, two more times. Earlier that evening, I saw that his phone was still plugged into his charger,” said Karissa during a telephone interview.
The whereabouts of Dau who is 6’1” and weighs 145 lbs, are yet to be discovered. At present, inquirers have no clue. According to Karissa, “The most recent confirmed cited event was he was on a video camera walking near the Sunflower Bakery, just north of High Street.”
A press conference was held on the steps of Saint Andrew’s Cathedral at 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2024. Accompanying Karissa were family and community supporters who stood at the location on High Street and appealed to the public regarding their knowledge of Dau’s disappearance to contact them and send Dau home. Hearts are pounding as time skips by, leaving no trace of Dau.
Karissa commented that there was a need for special camera footage. “Our issue is we wish we could have eyes everywhere at once. Dau was last wearing a yellow hoodie around his waist, an orange long sleeve shirt and blue pants with three white stripes down the sides,” she noted.
“He was my mother’s last born,” said Bul (pronounced as Boool), Dau’s brother who resides in Texas. “I am grateful to you for your continued support,” he said to community supporters. The community continues to work tirelessly and longs for Dau to return home safely.
Karissa mentioned that she and her family were thankful to the community for pausing to offer support for her missing husband. She further commented that she is “getting a lot of organizational help from Jeff Good, Dau’s employer and owner of Sal & Mookie’s. “There has been a vast community response to Dau’s disappearance, with a network of dozens scouring the city each day, walking trails, interviewing convenience store employees, talking to garbage men, jumping on buses to ask drivers and asking neighbors and residents if they have seen him,” stated Good.
According to the Clarion Ledger, Dau and Bul escaped to Ethiopia from South Sudan during the outbreak of a civil war. They encountered double jeopardy, however, when a war broke out there in Ethiopia. The brothers were among 20,000 Sudanese boys who fled Ethiopia. They came to Mississippi with 48 boys from a North Kenya refugee camp via the assistance of Catholic Charities, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Millsaps College.
Karissa noted that several law enforcement agencies are working to find the whereabouts of Dau. Crime Stoppers (601-355-8477) is offering a reward up to $2,500. The Capitol Police (601) 359-3125 and Jackson Police Department (JPD; 601-960-1234) are working on the case.
Persons with knowledge of Dau’s whereabouts should contact these entities and Karissa at 601-566-5739.
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