BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A 10-year-old boy has been missing for six days in Breathitt County as search efforts intensify and the community comes together to offer rewards for his safe return.
Jayden Spicer was last seen wearing blue "Sonic the Hedgehog" pajamas. His mother reported him missing last Wednesday.
"Search your surroundings. If you have property near where Jayden lived, search with everything in you. You know, make sure he's not on your property. If you have property you don't go to often, now's the time to go to that property and just look," said Jeff Turner of Jackson.
Turner, who has a child around the same age as Jayden, initially offered a $500 cash reward to anyone who could locate the boy. His efforts quickly inspired others to contribute, resulting in a GoFundMe that has raised more than $2,000.
The search in Breathitt County's challenging terrain has become increasingly urgent.
"A young child can only survive so long in these conditions. It's really hot out today. If this child doesn't have water, how many days can he survive?" Turner said.
Officials are using drones, sonar, K9 units, and ground crews in their search efforts, but have yet to find any sign of Jayden.
"It's really hard to explain because this doesn't happen in small communities like this. A missing child, you hear about from large cities. And never somewhere small like Jackson, Kentucky," Turner said.
A neighbor told LEX 18 that Jayden's mother appeared at their door in distress when she discovered her son was missing.
"And I went to the back door, and I saw a lady, knocking on my door. And she was crying and asked, can I use your phone? And I said yes, and gave my phone to her and dialed the number. And she talked to 911," the neighbor said. "And she said to them, that my child is missing."
The neighbor added: "She also explained to me that she went to bed, with her husband, around 9 - 9:30 pm, and then they woke up in the morning, and went to the place that her kid was sleeping and they found out the kid was not there."
According to state troopers, Jayden recently moved in with his mother after his great-grandmother died.
Multiple agencies continue working around the clock in the search effort.
Anyone with information about Jayden's whereabouts is asked to call Kentucky State Police directly at 606-435-6069.
