Left: Felicia Gross (Kentucky River Regional Jail). Right: Jayden Spicer (Kentucky State Police).
A missing Kentucky child has been found dead and now his mother is behind bars, law enforcement in the Bluegrass State says.
Felicia Gross, 33, stands accused of one count each of manslaughter in the second degree, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement and tampering with a witness, according to the Kentucky State Police.
On Aug. 6, Jayden Spicer, 10, was reported missing in Jackson, a small town located roughly 100 miles southeast of Lexington.
State troopers devoted significant resources to the search and rescue operation. Less than a week later, law enforcement uncovered an alleged ruse, according to an arrest citation obtained by Law&Crime.
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Troopers say Gross admitted to her role in her boy”s death during a Mirandized interview at the Jackson Police Department headquarters.
“[S]he confessed to providing Jayden a type of sleeping medication,” the citation reads. “Ms. Gross further stated that this medication caused Jayden to have a medical emergency and she believed that he had passed away from this medical emergency.”
Jayden was last seen alive on Aug. 5 — both parents reported the child went to sleep that evening but had gone missing by the next morning, and “his whereabouts were unknown,” police said.
Details about the little boy were shared to help the search – he was believed to be wearing blue “Sonic the Hedgehog” pajamas. Jayden was described as 5’1, with a slim build, blonde hair and blue eyes.
“We have a lot of different tools in place and we’re going to continue to search until our resources are exhausted,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said as the search went on for days.
During a press conference on Tuesday night, Gayheart said the boy’s remains were discovered at around 3 p.m. earlier that same day – buried in a shallow grave amid a wooded area on Canoe Road in Jackson, according to reports by Charleston, West Virginia-based ABC affiliate WCHS and Lexington-based CBS affiliate WKYT.
The mother’s alleged confession led to the discovery, roughly 19 miles southwest of the family’s home on Panbowl Branch Road.
“Ms. Gross further stated in the interview that she had transported Jaydens body to a wooded area on Canoe Road near the mouth of Joe Little Fork,” the arrest citation continues. “A search warrant was prepared and executed on this property and Jayden’s remains were located buried underground in a plastic tote.”
Troopers also appear to allege Gross instructed her other children to lie about their brother’s death, as the search for the boy continued.
The defendant even penned a handwritten note, pleading for the public’s help in finding Jayden, according to the state police.
Felicia Gross allegedly penned this handwritten plea – asking for the public to help find her missing son Jayden Spicer (Kentucky State Police).
“Two of Jayden’s siblings were interviewed at the Care Cottage in Hazard several days prior to this confession,” the citation goes on, referring to a child advocacy center. “Ms. Gross admitted to ‘coaching’ the siblings into what to say during the interview.”
Last week, Jayden’s aunts publicly questioned the narrative.
“He’s a good boy. He is very sweet, loving. He is very hyperactive. He likes to be on the go 24/7,” one of his aunts told WKYT. “He does not like insects at all, or the dark. Up in the hills, any child can go anywhere, but it seems so unreal he would go up there.”
The defendant is currently being detained in the Kentucky River Regional Jail. An autopsy will be performed on Jayden’s body to determine his precise cause of death.
“While this is not the outcome that we had hoped for, we certainly are grateful that we were able to bring him out of the woods today,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Miranda King said during the press conference, according to Lexington-based ABC and MyNetworkTV affiliate WTVQ. “I would like to assure the public that now, thanks to these guys, Jayden is now in good hands, and we’re gonna take care of him.”
