What to Know
- The FBI was searching a landfill in Broward County Thursday as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Leila Cavett
- Cavett, 21, was last seen on the night of July 25, just hours before her 2-year-old son, Kamdyn, was found wandering alone in Miramar
- The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the location of Cavett
The FBI was searching a landfill in Broward County Thursday as part of the investigation into the disappearance of a young mother in South Florida.
An FBI forensic team was at the Monarch Hill Landfill in Pompano Beach as the two-month search for 21-year-old Leila Cavett continued, FBI officials said in a statement.
“I would like to thank the community and the FBI for not giving up until we recover her," said Tina Kirby, Cavett's mother.
Footage showed FBI agents and crews under tents and in hazmat suits at the landfill digging through the debris.
Cavett, of Atlanta, was last seen on the night of July 25, just hours before her 2-year-old son, Kamdyn, was found wandering alone in a shirt and diaper at a Miramar apartment complex. The mother and son had arrived in South Florida the day before she went missing.
Local
Investigators determined that she spent time in several Broward County communities, including Hollywood, Miramar and Fort Lauderdale. Her vehicle was found July 28 in Hollywood.
Investigators arrested Shannon Ryan, 38, and charged him with kidnapping with the intent of collecting a ransom, reward or other benefit for allegedly taking Kamdyn.
Court documents said Ryan told investigators he has known Cavett since around January 2019, and that she had come to Florida to sell him her pickup truck.
In a criminal complaint filed in Fort Lauderdale, the FBI said video evidence didn't support Ryan’s claims that he saw Cavett and her son get into another person’s vehicle at a RaceTrac gas station in Hollywood. Investigators also say he bought odor eliminator, duct tape and extra-large garbage bags around the time of her disappearance.
Authorities interviewed several employees of the RaceTrac gas station and one employee recognized a picture of Ryan and told law enforcement that they had seen Ryan using the RaceTrac dumpster, the complaint said.
Another employee specifically remembered seeing children’s toys and women’s clothing inside the dumpster on or around July 26, the complaint said. The employee recognized a distinct pair of floral pants worn by Cavett in a picture shown to them.
Investigators later removed the dumpsters from the gas station as part of the investigation.
The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the location of Cavett. Miramar Police, Hollywood Police and the Broward Sheriff's Office are assisting in the investigation.
