#4896: FBI joins search for hip-hop star's father (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: nozier@tradewind.net

FBI joins search for hip-hop star's father
By Douglas A. Campbell  INQUIRER STAFF WRITER 

  The FBI has joined an investigation into the disappearance Sunday in
Newark, N.J., of the father of hip-hop star Wyclef Jean.  The Rev.
Gesner Jean, 59, was being sought by the Newark Police Department while 
federal agents pursued a parallel investigation, FBI spokeswoman Sandra
Carroll said yesterday."Apparently his disappearance has not been
characterized yet, whether it's a kidnapping or he's just missing,"
Carroll said. She had no further details. Mr. Jean, the pastor of Good
Shepherd Church of the Nazarene, was last seen at 11:30 a.m. Sunday,
Newark police said in a news release Monday.  "No signs of foul play
have been discovered at this time," the news release said.A woman
answering the phone at Mr. Jean's church declined to discuss his       
disappearance.  Police described Mr. Jean as about 5-foot-8 and 150
pounds with gray-and-black hair, dark brown eyes, and a slim build. When
last seen, he was wearing a light-gray jacket,dark-gray pants, black
Gucci shoes, and a platinum watch. Wyclef Jean, 29, is a founding member
of the Fugees, a hip-hop group that rose to prominence with their second
record, The Score, which was released in 1996 and sold 10 million
copies. The younger Jean is a guitarist and songwriter-producer whose
music blends sounds from his father's native Haiti with other forms. His
latest recording, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book, is scheduled for
release Tuesday.  He could not be reached for comment yesterday through
his publicist or recording studio.