One pleasant night, in mid-April of 2018, a six-year-old boy called Kaydon, completely out of the blue, had oddly disappeared without a trace. His parents thought at first that he was playing his favorite game – hide & seek, but soon they realized that this was not really the case. They finally discovered him after an exhausting and extensive 22-hour search for Kaydon but were totally shocked to see that he was actually not alone. What could have happened to a young boy like this? And what did the authorities manage during the investigation to find out? Continue to scroll through to find out…
Young Missing Boy Is Found After A Tedious 22 Hour Search, But He Was Not Alone
Extremely Concerned
In Blount County, Tennessee, Kaydon and his family lived in a small community called Top of the World. Frequently, his parents allowed him to play outside alone because he always made a promise not to go too far without first making them aware. However, on the night of Monday, April 23rd, 2018, something really strange happened… The day started to turn into evening, and Kaydon didn’t return home.
Extremely Concerned
He Didn’t Come Home
Kaydon’s parents were, naturally, so extremely concerned about where their son was. It was far beyond 6 pm, and he would normally be home by now. Although they knew he was enjoying his time outside, things started to get more intense when there was no sight of Kaydon. Where might their honey be? Perhaps he was hiding out somewhere? This was so unlike him, whatever the explanation.
He Didn’t Come Home
A Good Boy
Often portrayed as a happy young child, Kaydon Leach seldom got himself into any difficult situation. He loved the outdoors and being with nature so much, but playing with his black and white terrier, Chula, was what he absolutely loved most. Kaydon is a six-year-old boy now, so it was kind of normal for him to sometimes get into mischief. So maybe he was just playing a joke on his family.
A Good Boy
Not Taking A Risk
Originally, Kaydon’s parents thought he had to be somewhere around the house for sure — perhaps he just went to sleep. But they quickly realized that they were so completely mistaken, so they tried to contact the Sheriff of Blount County to assist them. James Lee Berrong was alerted immediately and came to meet the parents of Kaydon to get a better and clear grasp of the issues…
Not Taking A Risk
A Missing Child
Of course, at each and every waking moment, it’s so normal for every parent to want to protect their kids, so you can only imagine what would happen when their worst nightmare comes true. The parents of Kaydon were no different. When they thought their little boy was missing, you can only imagine what was running through their minds.
A Missing Child
Bad Gut Feeling
There was something very strange, and no one could go into the bottom of it. Although it was not exactly clear where Kaydon was or how he just completely vanished, his parents felt that he was missing or maybe he was abducted from their own backyard. Would he be fine? They all tried not to think about the worst, but it was really tough…
Bad Gut Feeling
No Time to Lose
The County Sheriff was well informed of the essence of time, and that is why he shifted other authorities rapidly to assist them and help spread awareness about little Kaydon. Generally, one would have to wait 24 hours before being permitted to file an official missing person case, but the rules were flexed a bit because this was a strong community that was always stuck together.
No Time to Lose
Trying To Be Optimistic
The parents of Kaydon Leach were really worried about the whereabouts of their kids. He was missing, and in the winter months, he had no winter jacket to keep him heated, so maybe he was freezing cold. Even though the sheriff did his hardest not to believe the worst of the scenario, it became incredibly hard. He tried to reassure the family, however, that everything will be all right and was going to help them as much as he could.
Trying To Be Optimistic
The Missing Boy’s Profile
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a report about a missing person at 7 pm that night. In the report to the Sherriff’s Office, a complete description of Kaydon was provided. The community members were also immediately alerted to be on the lookout for young Kaydon. It was stated that the last time he was seen was around 6 pm. Let’s just really hope that everybody can help out…
The Missing Boy’s Profile
His Description
His parents described him as a beautiful little boy with light brown hair and blue eyes. He weighs 60 pounds and also is 4 feet tall (around 27kg). Moreover, at the time of his disappearance, they clarified to the Sheriff exactly what he was donning. Kaydon wore slip-on shoes, gray sweatpants, and a black shirt. Would this be sufficient to help spot him? What else would they do?
His Description
The Search
The local sheriff’s department has established a major search and rescue mission. In the meantime, to assist with the search, the neighboring McGhee Tyson Airbase had used a military Blackhawk helicopter. It all started very quickly after the phone call from the Leach family was received by Berrong. These operations are extremely successful most of the time. Would this have been the same for Kaydon?
The Search
Searching Everywhere
A ground operation had also been initiated to assist the overall operations, regardless of the fact that a helicopter was dispatched to help look for sweet Kaydon. The whole search and rescue team is composed of almost 100 first responders within a certain area covering approximately 2000 acres of mountain terrain. The major question persisted before it was too late, would they be able to track down the young boy?
Searching Everywhere
Grid Searches
The spokeswoman for the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Marian O’Briant, told WVLT News that both ground search parties, along with military aid, would extensively investigate the area all throughout the evening so that they could identify the whereabouts of Kaydon. Not only was this a tremendous assignment, but there was also totally no time to lose. Many searches were being done simultaneously, so there was no way they could not really locate him.
Grid Searches
The TBI
Ground teams such as the Tennessee Information Bureau (TBI), the Blount County Fire Department, Blount County Search and Rescue Tea, the federal Bureau of Information, Blount County Chief Deputy Jeff French, and Blount County Sheriff’s Department, all made a pledge to retain their goal when trying to search for Kaydon. A lot was required to be done, which seemed to be incredibly important for the number of services involved in the investigation.
The TBI
A Community Comes Together
Everyone decided to reach out and do their role when word came out in the community that one of their own had simply vanished. Only a few hours after the operation began, the Blount County Emergency Services sent out an Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) message. They think it’s extremely vital that they knew exactly what was happening, that an extra pair of eyes would hurt…
A Community Comes Together
A Caring Community
They knew immediately all the hands required to be on deck in an attempt to see Kaydon reunited with his family as soon as the people of their local community got the information. There was a young boy’s life on the line! These individuals were thinking about their own kids and extended families inevitably, which really hit home. It’s all about a young child and his seriously concerned family at the end of the day.
A Caring Community
Rallying Around
The Blount County community also learned about this horrible event, regardless of the fact that the IPAWS message was clearly and openly transmitted. How did the news get out exactly? Thanks to modern technology and a brilliant application named Next Door, it was done. This app provided their neighborhood something of a secluded social network. This is what assisted the message delivery even more than anticipated…
Rallying Around
News Coverage
Regrettably, not everybody in the community immediately assisted with the important search, but they made sure that they could do everything to find Kaydon. One of the amazing local people spoke to WVLT News and said that “We’re a very tight community. We try to help everyone. I got a phone call about what was going on. I was coming up the mountain from work and just shot straight over and did everything I could to help.”
News Coverage
A Helping Hand
Megan Kessler is among the community’s most actively engaged residents who fairly quickly learned about Kaydon’s disappearance. She then started planning her own strategy, with the ultimate objective of bringing Kaydon back to his family comfortably. She supplied all the search and rescue volunteers with ample food and water, and then she had spoken to WVLT News and said that “We knew it was going to be a long night.” She also said, “We brought coffee, chili, whatever they needed. We wanted to make sure we could supply it. They wouldn’t let us search, so we did what we could.”
A Helping Hand
A Viral Post
As soon as they heard that devastating news, far too many people stepped up to the plate. The Tennessee Endangered Child Alert produced a Facebook post with a picture of Kaydon. They also provided a positive description of what Kaydon Leach looked like and more information about just before he went missing, what the situation was all like. WBIR Channel 10 also shared the post. Obviously, it was gaining attention very fast.
A Viral Post
The Power Of Media
Very shortly after being updated with all the extra info everywhere, the post was shared over 2000 times and obtained about 350 reactions as well. Seeing it was so insane! The entire neighborhood worked so hard and meticulously to ensure that not only was Kaydon safe but that as soon as possible, he would be returned to his worried family. Like a wildfire, word spread!
The Power Of Media
Time Was Running Out
The assistance of volunteer groups was so important, despite everyone trying to put in their great attempts and trying their very best, but unfortunately, there was no success. They had, unfortunately, missed finding Kaydon. It was really cold and dark, so people were starting to worry much more. Were they going to look for him? The situation had started to look unattainable…
Time Was Running Out
Getting More Worried
It seemed as though things were hopeless as time quickly passed by. The authorities and emergency services felt a surge of frustration. The probability of Kaydon getting extremely sick was certainly likely, particularly if they could not find him very shortly! At the time of his vanishing, he was not wearing any winter clothing. This matter has become increasingly urgent. Everybody involved needed to think and act quickly.
Getting More Worried
The Search Continues
All through the evening, the search and rescue teams worked incredibly hard. They focused on many places within a half-mile radius of the Leach family home. The disappointment with the situation that soon developed was that they now had to sit tight until sunrise so that people could further broaden their search into the surrounding neighborhood, particularly the mountainous region.
The Search Continues
They Hoped He Was Okay
Not only were Kaydon’s mother definitely deeply worried, but they also began to become incredibly stressed. They were, of course, terrified and really anxious, even starting to feel somewhat guilty for being so negligent. It took a long time before they discovered that darling Kaydon was indeed safe and sound, but where was he? Really, what actually occurred?
They Hoped He Was Okay