BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky State Police and local rescue teams are racing against the clock to find 10-year-old Jayden Spicer, who disappeared from his home Tuesday night.
Search and rescue teams are using drones, ATVs, and sonar technology to locate the child, who went missing from his mother's home on Panbowl Branch Road Tuesday night in Jackson.
"Any time you are dealing with a missing individual, it is a tragedy. But when it's a 10-year-old child, that completely changes the dynamic of it," KSP Trooper Matt Gayheart said.
KSP, Breathitt County Emergency Management, and local rescue teams have been searching for Spicer since Wednesday morning. Authorities say the search will be expanded on Friday.
"In this situation, we want to keep hope alive, but we are racing against the clock," Trooper Gayheart said.
Officials emphasize that the mountainous terrain and several bodies of water in the area, including Panbowl Lake, make the search particularly challenging.
"The more time he spends outside in the elements, unfortunately, statistically speaking, the chances of finding him safely diminish," the trooper explained.
In a handwritten note shared with LEX 18, the Spicer family wrote, "We love Jayden and we want him safe at home."
The family is asking anyone with information about Jayden's whereabouts to report it to the Jackson Police Department.
Mildred Shannon, who lives more than a mile away from Spicer's house, said her family immediately checked their security cameras when they heard about the missing child.
"There are a lot of coyotes, you got the snakes and things at night, so a child, even a young adult, probably aren't safe out of the woods at night," Shannon said.
"Everybody cares, you wouldn't want your son, your grandson...lost in the woods at night. It's not safe," she added.
Crews are combing a 20-mile radius around Spicer's home, with plans to expand the search area tomorrow.
"A life is very important, this one's no different, so we will make sure to exhaust every resource we can to make sure we find him safely and bring him back home," Gayheart said.
