Federal agents arrested a man in Florida and accused him of suspecting a young mother who was last seen with her toddlers at a gas station three weeks ago, officials said Monday.
Shannon Demar Ryan was arrested in Broward County and charged with one count of kidnapping, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Monday by FBI Special Agent Samuel Band.
Local police and FBI agents have searched for Leila Cavett, 21, after she was spotted on July 26 in Hollywood, Florida, along with her 2-year-old son Kamdyn, authorities said.
Hours later, the little boy was found wandering alone in an apartment complex in nearby Miramar, but no trace of his mother was found, the FBI said. Her unattended car was found in Hollywood on July 28, agents said.
In the criminal complaint against Ryan, the victim is referred to only as “LC”, but in the publicly known details of the accusations of Cavett’s disappearance match in Band’s complaint. Cavett’s father, Curtis Cavett, told NBC South Florida that Ryan was arrested in connection with the disappearance of his daughter.
Ryan used the victim’s debit card for two purchases on July 26 at a Walmart gas station, where she was last seen, according to the court document.
Review of video and store showed “Ryan buys Hefty Strong 39 Gallon Extra Large Trash Drawstring Bags and two boxes of Extra Strength Carpet Odor Eliminator,” Band wrote.
Ryan returned to the same store within 15 minutes, where “video surveillance and receipts show that Ryan went back to Walmart and bought a role with Advanced Strength Duct Tape,” the FBI agent wrote
The young divorce of the young mother is completely out of character, “the FBI said in a statement last week.
Band appeared to repeat that point in his complaint against Ryan on Monday, writing that, “Legislation interviewed several witnesses, including their family members who indicated that LC would not leave their children with anyone” and that “law enforcement learned that LC still was breastfeeding. “
“I just want to know the fact that my child is OK, and if she is not, I have to deal with it,” Curtis Cavett told NBC South Florida.
Cavett is about 5-feet-4, weighs about 120 pounds and has the name of her son, “Kamdyn,” tattooed on her right inner arm and a “Jesus fish” tattoo on her right wrist, according to the FBI.
Mohammed Syed contributed.
