JACKSON, KY – Authorities say a 10-year-old boy reported missing in Kentucky has been found dead, and the child’s mother is facing multiple felony charges in the case.
Felicia Gross, 33, was arrested this week following a search that lasted nearly a week in Jackson, a community nestled in the southeastern part of the state. Gross is charged with second-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, falsely reporting an incident to police, and tampering with a witness.
The investigation began on August 6 when Gross and the child’s father told law enforcement their son, Jayden Spicer, was missing. Jayden was last seen alive the previous evening, according to police. When he was reported missing, the child was described as a slim, 5-foot-1 boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, last seen wearing blue pajamas featuring Sonic the Hedgehog.
Law enforcement quickly mobilized teams and resources, searching for several days across the rural area. Police enlisted help from the public, disseminating descriptions of Jayden and organizing local search parties. Despite extensive efforts, it became clear after several days that the circumstances surrounding Jayden’s disappearance were suspicious.
On Tuesday, police revealed that Gross confessed to her involvement in her son’s death during an interview at the Jackson Police Department. According to investigative documents, she admitted to giving Jayden a type of sleeping medication, which allegedly resulted in a medical emergency. Believing her son had died, Gross subsequently moved his body.
Investigators determined the child’s remains had been concealed in a wooded area approximately 19 miles from the family’s home on Panbowl Branch Road. Police say that following Gross’s confession, they executed a search warrant for the location and found Jayden’s body buried in a shallow grave inside a plastic container on Canoe Road.
Troopers also allege that after Jayden’s death, Gross tried to mislead police and the public about the circumstances. She reportedly wrote a handwritten note appealing for help in finding her son and instructed other children in the household to lie about Jayden’s disappearance. Authorities interviewed two of Jayden’s siblings at a local advocacy center and later learned from Gross that she had directed the siblings on what to say.
Family members had expressed disbelief that Jayden would have wandered off alone, with one aunt describing him as hyperactive but not the type to venture into unfamiliar wooded areas without cause.
Gross is currently being held at the Kentucky River Regional Jail. An autopsy is planned to establish the precise cause and circumstances of Jayden’s death, authorities said.
Law enforcement leaders stated that, while the outcome was tragic, the resolution of the search provided some closure for the community and Jayden’s family. The investigation remains ongoing.