One warm evening, in the middle of April in 2018, a six-year-old boy named Kaydon had strangely gone missing – completely out of the blue. At first, his parents thought that he was playing his favorite game – hide & seek but they soon realized that this was in fact not the case. After an exhausting and extensive 22 hour search for Kaydon, they finally found him but were totally shocked to see that he actually was not alone. What could have happened to this young boy? And what did authorities manage to discover during the investigation? Keep scrolling through to find out…
Young Missing Boy Is Found After A Tedious 22 Hour Search, But He Was Not Alone
Extremely Concerned
Kaydon and hos family lived in a small community called, Top of the World in Blount County, Tennessee. His parents’ often allowed him to play alone outside, as he always promised to not go too far without letting them know before. However, something really weird happened on the evening of Monday, April 23rd, 2018 …day was beginning to turn into night and Kaydon had not returned home.
Extremely Concerned
He Didn’t Come Home
Naturally, Kaydon’s parents were so worried about where their son was. It was passed 6pm and by now he usually would be home. Even though they knew he was enjoying his time outside, things began to get more severe when there was no sight of Kaydon. Where could their darling be? Was he may be hiding out somewhere? Whatever the reasoning, this was so unlike him.
He Didn’t Come Home
A Good Boy
Kaydon Leach was often described as a happy young boy who hardly got himself into any trouble. He so loved the outdoors and being with nature, but what he enjoyed the most is playing with his black and white terrier, Chula. Now Kaydon is a 6-year-old boy so it was somewhat natural for him to get into mischief at times. So perhaps he was simply playing a joke on his family.
A Good Boy
Not Taking A Risk
Initially, Kaydon’s parents thought that he had to for sure be somewhere around the house – maybe he just fell asleep. But they soon understood that they were so wrong so they decided to contact the Blount County Sheriff to help them out. James Lee Berrong was immediately alerted and came to meet Kaydon’s parents to get a clearer picture of the situation…
Not Taking A Risk
A Missing Child
Of course, it is so natural for every parent to want to protect their child in every waking moment, so you can only imagine when their worst nightmare comes true what would happen. Kaydon’s parents were no different. You can only imagine what was running through their minds when they thought their little boy was missing.
A Missing Child
Bad Gut Feeling
Something was extremely bizarre, and no one could get to the bottom of it. While it was not exactly clear as to where Kaydon was or how he just disappeared but his parents had some kind of gut feeling that he was missing or perhaps he was kidnapped from their own back yard. Would he be ok? They were all trying not to think of the worst but it was truly hard…
Bad Gut Feeling
No Time to Lose
The County Sheriff was well aware that time was of the essence, which is why he quickly alerted other authorities for their assistance and help spread the word about little Kaydon. Usually, one would need to wait 24 hours before being allowed to file an official missing person report, however, because this was a strong community that always stuck together, the rules were bent a bit.
No Time to Lose
Trying To Be Optimistic
Kaydon Leach’s parents were so concerned about their child’s whereabouts. He was missing and had no coat to keep him warm in the cold weather, so perhaps he was freezing cold. Although the Sheriff tried his best not to think the worst of the situation, it was becoming increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, he reassured the family that everything would be okay and was going to help them as much as he could.
Trying To Be Optimistic
The Missing Boy’s Profile
At 7 pm that evening, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released a report about a missing child. A detailed description of Kaydon was given in the report to the Sherriff’s Office. The members of the community were immediately alerted as well to be on the lookout for young Kaydon. It was noted that he was last seen around 6 pm. Lets just really hope they everyone was able to help out…
The Missing Boy’s Profile
His Description
Kaydon’s parents described him as a beautiful little boy with light brown hair and blue eyes. He weighs 60 pounds (around 27kg) and is 4 feet tall. Besides this, they explained to the Sheriff exactly what he was wearing at the time of his disappearance. Kaydon was wearing slip-on shoes, gray sweatpants, and a black shirt on. Would this be enough to help locate him? What more did they need to?
His Description
The Search
A major search and rescue mission was set out by the local sheriff’s department. In the interim, the nearby McGhee Tyson Airbase used a military Blackhawk helicopter to help with the search. It all began very quickly after Berrong received the phone call from the Leach family. Most of the time, these operations are highly successful. Would this be the same with Kaydon?
The Search
Searching Everywhere
Despite the fact that a helicopter was deployed to help look for sweet Kaydon, a ground operation had also been launched to aid the whole operation. The entire search and rescue team consisted of nearly 100 first responders who covered approximately 2000 acres of mountain terrain within a certain area. The big question remained, were they going to be able to locate the young boy before it was too late?
Searching Everywhere
Grid Searches
Marian O’Briant, the spokeswoman of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, reported to WVLT News that both the ground search teams, togetehr with military assistance, would thoroughly explore the area throughout the night so they could locate Kaydon’s whereabouts. This was not only a massive task but there was absolutely no time to lose. Many searches were simultaneously being conducted, so there was no way they couldn’t find him.
Grid Searches
The TBI
Ground teams like the Tennessee Bureau of Information (TBI), Blount County Fire Department, Blount County Search and Rescue Tea, Federal Bureau of Information, Blount County Chief Deputy Jeff French, and Blount County Sheriff’s Department, all pledged to maintain their goal when searching for Kaydon. A lot needed to be done and for the number of services involved in the operation, it seemed that this was extremely crucial.
The TBI
A Community Comes Together
When word got out into the community that one of their own had suddenly disappeared, everyone decided to reach out and do their part as well. Just a few hours after the operation began, an Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) message was sent out by the Blount County Emergency Services. They thought it was extremely vital for them to know what exactly was going on, an extra pair of eyes would hurt…
A Community Comes Together
A Caring Community
As soon as the people of their local community received the message, they instantly knew all hands needed to be on deck in order to see Kaydon reunited with his family. The young boy’s life was on the line! These people automatically thought about their own children and extended families, which really hit home. At the end of the day, this was all about a young boy and his extremely worried family.
A Caring Community
Rallying Around
In spite of the fact that the IPAWS message was publicly broadcasted, the Blount County community also heard about this terrible incident. How exactly did the news get out? It was all thanks to modern technology and a brilliant application called Next Door. This app provided somewhat of a secluded social network for their neighborhood. This is what helped deliver the message even further than expected…
Rallying Around
News Coverage
Unfortunately, not everyone in the community was able to actively help out with the significant search, however, they did ensure they could do everything in the power to find Kaydon. One of the amazing from the local community spoke to WVLT News and said, “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 one of the most involved residents of the community who had heard about Kaydon’s disappearance relatively quickly. She then decided to plan an initiative of her own, her ultimate goal was to bring Kaydon safely back to his family. She provided ample food and water for all the search and rescue volunteers, and then she spoke to WVLT News and said, “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
So many people stepped up to the plate as soon as they heard the devasting news. A Facebook post with a photo of Kaydon was created by the Tennessee Endangered Child Alert. They also gave a good description of what Kaydon Leach looked like and more details as to what the situation was like right before he went missing. The post was also shared by WBIR Channel 10. It was clearly going viral very fast
A Viral Post
The Power Of Media
Very soon after it was updated everywhere with all the additional information, the post had been shared over 2000 times and also received about 350 reactions. It was so crazy to see! The whole neighborhood was working so hard and tediously to make sure Kaydon was not only safe but that he would be returned to his worried family as soon as possible. Word spread like wildfire!
The Power Of Media
Time Was Running Out
Regardless of everyone putting in their best efforts and trying their very best, the help of the local volunteers was so significant but alas there was no success. Sadly, they had neglected to find Kaydon. It was really cold and dark which is why people began to worry even more. Were they going to find him? The situation was beginning to look impossible…
Time Was Running Out
Getting More Worried
As time quickly passed by, it seemed as if things were hopeless. Authorities and emergency services felt a surge of distress, the chances of Kaydon getting extremely sick was highly possible, especially if they did not manage to find him very soon! He was not wearing any warm clothing at the time of his disappearance. This matter was being more and more urgent. Everyone involved needed to act speedily.
Getting More Worried
The Search Continues
The search and rescue teams worked really hard all the way through the night. They concentrated on many areas but mainly the spaces within a half-mile radius of the Leach’s family home. The upsetting about the situation that soon developed was that they now needed to wait until sunrise for people could further expand their search into the surrounding area, especially that extended into the mountainous region.
The Search Continues
They Hoped He Was Okay
Kaydon’s parents obviously were not only deeply concerned but also began to become extremely stressed. Naturally, they were terrified and really anxious, they even began to feel somewhat guilty for being so irresponsible. It took a lengthy amount of hours before they learnt that darling Kaydon was actually safe and sound, however, where was he? What really happened?
They Hoped He Was Okay