🚨 Search Underway for 4-Year-Old Alabama Boy Missing Since New Year’s Eve
A major search effort is ongoing in Alabama for a 4-year-old boy who disappeared on New Year’s Eve. Authorities are looking for Johnathan Everett Boley, last seen around 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday in a wooded and rural area of Jasper, Ala.
The Walker County Police Department has expressed concern for the child’s safety. Boley was last seen wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants, and Paw Patrol shoes. It was reported that he was with his 6-year-old brother and their black Labrador retriever at the time of his disappearance. The dog is also missing.
“The indications were that Johnathan and his brother were outside playing around the fence line with a dog,” Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said in a briefing. “The brother said that the dog and his brother went across the fence line.” A neighbor reported seeing the dog on game cameras until the afternoon of December 26.
The Walker County Sheriff’s Office received the initial call about the missing child around 12:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. An extensive air and ground search using helicopters with thermal detection and canines continued until 3 a.m. and resumed Thursday morning.
Boley and his brother live with their mother in Florida but were visiting their father. They were scheduled to return to their mother before the younger boy went missing. As part of a custody agreement, the father, Jameson Kyle Boley, had five days a year for visitation.
The mother arrived from Florida on Wednesday evening and is cooperating with authorities. During the search of the home, evidence of “explosive devices” was found on the father’s property. Jameson Kyle Boley has been charged with unlawful manufacture of a destructive device or bacteriological weapon and two counts of chemical endangerment of a child.
“The father has been charged. It’s nothing to do with the connection of the missing child. It’s something totally separate but it’s still a factor that’s hindering our search,” Smith said. “We have a search warrant for the property that they are having to take care of some explosive devices before we can actually get inside the residence and start doing a thorough search.”
Authorities had suspended the search for civilians due to devices that appeared to be explosives found on the father’s property. “We’ve asked them to refrain from searching at this time until we’re able to identify at least eight other explosive devices. We do not believe that they’re charged but I cannot say that to be sure until they are examined by the FBI bomb and explosives team,” he added earlier on Thursday.
When asked if police have any indication of why the explosive devices were on the property to begin with, Smith said, “The father is prior military. It’s just something that neighbours have said they’ve been hearing explosions for weeks now. They just didn’t know where it came from.” “The morning before the report came in, one of the neighbours reported that they heard an explosion around 4 a.m. that morning,” he added.
In an update later on Thursday, Smith said the eight devices flagged as explosive were cleared as not explosive and volunteers can continue to help with the search as of 7 a.m. on Friday. “The house has been cleared. Now our investigators are inside trying to collect any additional evidence to maybe help us find this child,” Smith said.
The search has seen significant community involvement, with 126 first responders from nearby agencies and 161 volunteers covering over 500 acres on Thursday.
While this case is from the United States, we’re sharing it because missing people can sometimes travel or be taken across borders. With so many Canadians visiting or living near the U.S. border, public awareness here can still make a difference.
🔗 Source
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