Jailed father won't talk of missing son

Sara Breen has not seen her 2-year-old son, Dimitrius, since March 25, when she took the boy for a visit with his father in West Philadelphia.

Now the father is in jail, refusing to discuss his son's whereabouts, and Breen, as well as officials, is worried about the boy's safety.

Yesterday, the police Special Victims Unit issued an appeal for the public's help in finding Dimitrius Whitaker.

Until the March 25 visit, Breen, 28, and the boy's father, James Whitaker, 44, had joint custody of Dimitrius.

The next day, Whitaker showed up at her home in Oxford Circle without Dimitrius.

"I thought we were going to talk," she said.

Instead, police said, he assaulted Breen, who was pregnant at the time.

She called police, but they did not find Whitaker until July 26, when he was arrested and charged with assault, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault of an unborn child, and other offenses.

On July 31, a judge found Whitaker in contempt of the custody order and ordered him jailed until he disclosed the boy's whereabouts.

So far, Whitaker has said nothing, according to police.

"It's been horrible," Breen said. "I'm trying to deal with it the best I can. It's been frustrating."

Anne Armistead, a staff attorney at Women Against Abuse who has been working with Breen since April, said they believe Dimitrius is still in the Philadelphia area.

"He [Whitaker] is just sitting in jail and he's not talking," said Armistead.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251 or 3252.