Imagine coming across a two-year-old little boy wandering completely alone outside an apartment complex.
He’s wearing only a shirt and a diaper.
He can’t tell anyone where his mother is.
Nobody seems to know where he’s come from.
And then, as police begin trying to identify this little boy, they discover something even more disturbing.
His mother, 21-year-old Leila Cavett, is missing.
Leila hadn’t simply disappeared from her home. She had driven hundreds of kilometres from Georgia to South Florida with her little boy.
And the last person investigators would ultimately focus on was a man who claimed he had been helping Leila – a self-described witch, spiritual teacher and tarot reader named Shannon Ryan.
Shannon would tell police that Leila had voluntarily left with other men.
But surveillance cameras would tell a very different story.
And what investigators would uncover in the days and months that followed would turn a missing-person investigation into a murder case – despite the fact that Leila’s body has never been found.
As of 2020, Leila Cavett was 21 years old. She had been living in Dawsonville, Georgia and was a single mother to Kamdyn (2). She had been working at Dunkin’ to support herself and her son.
Kamdyn’s father is Daniel Lee West. Their relationship has been described as complicated but not necessarily hostile. Daniel told the Miami Herald that he was in contact with Leila at the time and sent money to help support their son.
We believe Leila has at least three siblings – sisters Gina, Tyuania and one additional sister. Her father Curtis Cavett told CBS that Kamdyn was Leila’s whole world.
Leila last spoke to one of her sisters on video call on July 17, 2020. They spoke for around an hour. The sister has said that nothing seemed amiss and that there was no mention of Leila planning a trip to Florida.
On Friday July 24, 2020, Leila and Kamdyn left Georgia. At around 7pm on that day, they were seen on CCTV at a Cracker Barrel in Vero Beach, Florida. This is an 8-9 hour drive from their home, around 583 miles or 938 km.
She was seen driving a white Chevy 3500 (mid-to-late 90s model), with a maroon or red tailgate and a “Baby on Board” sign on the passenger window.
Leila was seen on CCTV again on Saturday, July 25, 2020 from 2.20pm. Her truck was seen at a RaceTrac gas station. There was a silver Lexus parked there. Leila was seen interacting with the occupant of the Lexus.
Investigators believe that Leila got into the Lexus with Kamdyn.
At 3pm, Leila got out of the Lexus and went inside the gas station.
At 4.51pm, Leila and Kamdyn were seen at a Family Dollar store.
At 8.35pm, Leila was seen at a Cheesecake Factory.
The last confirmed sighting of Leila was between 10.15-10.19pm that day. She was seen at the RaceTrac with Kamdyn. Leila was seen with a man at the gas station. She filled up a drink while the man paid. The three left together in the Lexus that we have previously mentioned.
The following day was Sunday, July 26, 2020. A passerby named Ebony Williams discovered a small child wandering alone near the Edge Apartments in Miramar. He was only wearing a shirt and a diaper and could not communicate as to where his mother was.
“I asked him where is his mommy and he kind of just pointed everywhere,” Ebony said.
Miramar Police appealed for help in identifying the child and finding his parents.
By Monday July 27, the photographs had reached members of Leila’s family. Her sister Gina said someone sent her the police post and she said “100 percent that’s Kamdyn.”
Leila’s family began travelling to where Kamdyn was found. It was around 800 miles of driving. They arrived by Tuesday July 28 and they met with detectives.
“It’s starting to become a lot more real now, and I definitely just want to know that my sister is OK,” Gina Lewis said.
Her family said that Leila did not have any ties to the part of Florida where Kamdyn was found and that they were growing concerned.
“That’s the main question that we’re trying to figure out now. We don’t know of her having any friends or family out here, to be out here in the first place,” Gina said.
They also appealed for Leila to come forward.
“If my sister is watching this, just please reach out to any one of us,” Gina said. “And if you don’t want to reach out to us, reach out to your friends. Everyone is just so concerned. We just want you home.”
While Kamdyn’s identity was confirmed, he remained in state custody. Due to Covid restrictions at the time, he could only see his aunts and other family members via Zoom.
Police reviewed CCTV and quickly found that Leila and Kamdyn had been repeatedly seen with the man in the Lexus.
The vehicle was distinctive as it was missing the front bumper. It was captured on CCTV near the apartment complex where Kamdyn was found.
Police identified the owner of the Lexus as Shannon Ryan.
Leila’s vehicle was found to be parked in the lot of a Walmart in Hollywood, Florida. On July 28, Shannon Ryan went to her vehicle and he was then approached by police.
He told authorities that he last saw Leila and Kamdyn on July 26. His story was that the mother and son had left the RaceTrac in a car with several Black men that he didn’t know at that time. He said that he purchased the truck from Leila for $3,000.
Authorities reviewed the CCTV from the gas station and saw no such car or people in the area at the time.
Footage from 9.42am on July 26 showed Shannon purchasing 39-gallon trash bags and two boxes of carpet deodorizer at Walmart. At 9:57 AM: Shannon returned to Walmart and bought duct tape.
They found footage from July 27 of Shannon disposing of items in the RaceTrac dumpster, including a large object in a black bag, as well as what appeared to be bloody towels.
It was also determined that Shannon’s cell phone was in the area at the time that Kamdyn was abandoned and found by Ebony.
Authorities asked Shannon on July 28 if he was able to meet with them. He said he wasn’t able to right then and there but that he would be at the Walmart parking lot again on July 29 at 9am.
When July 29 came around, detectives went to the Walmart. Not surprisingly, Shannon did not show up. Authorities ran checks on his license plate and discovered that he was heading north to Texas.
The FBI joined the investigation on August 3, 2020. Leila was officially classified by that point as Missing and Endangered.
On Sunday August 9, 2020, Shannon posted a video on Facebook. He said that Leila’s truck window was smashed and that he had covered it with a trash bag.
People online began to accuse Shannon of being involved in Leila’s disappearance. He became increasingly vocal on Facebook.
In one post, he talked about people who believed he had something to do with Leila’s disappearance and said he would demonstrate his “powers” by making people disappear from his timeline.
He then referred to carrying out a “mass Hexing” at the next full moon.
Shannon had a large online presence under the name ‘Magnetic Kundalini.
His Facebook page described his interests and teachings as including:
Witchcraft
Knowledge of Self
Kemetic Kundalini
Chakra meditation
Kemetic science
Health and wellness
Fitness
Mentorship
He also described himself as a witch and spiritual teacher and claimed to teach people about occult and spiritual practices.
Shannon advertised witchcraft lesions for $100 online and said that he could teach his spiritual practices to others.
Shannon would tell authorities that he first met Leila in Alabama in 2019 after she arrived at his home with Kamdyn.
He said she eventually became interested in his spiritual teachings and that the two remained connected after she moved back to Georgia.
The FBI discovered that Facebook messages between Leila and Shannon indicated that Leila had traveled to Florida to become his apprentice.
According to CrimeTimelines.com, a friend said Shannon tried selling Leila’s truck for $1,000. Shovels with red spots and a broken truck window were found; glass was inside the door and on the ground. RaceTrac employees identified Shannon and said women’s clothes and children’s toys were seen in the dumpster. One recognized floral pants matching Leila’s last outfit.
On Saturday August 15, 2020, the FBI searched the Lexus. They found half empty bleach cleaner and trash bags.
We also know that Shannon made google searches for : “What day does commercial garbage pickup for Hollywood, Florida?” as well “Does bleach and alcohol make chloroform?”
The search for Leila included extensive searching of landfill in Broward County, Florida.
Shannon was arrested in August 2020. He was initially facing two counts of lying to a law enforcement officer. He was then charged with one count of kidnapping, accused of taking and then abandoning Kamdyn.
On April 22, 2021, federal prosecutors dropped the kidnapping-related charge against Shannon.
The federal charge was dismissed without prosecutors publicly explaining why.
By May 2021, he was charged with Second-degree murder
Tampering with evidence
Child-neglect-related charges were also part of the proceedings.
In 2022, Shannon spoke from jail.
Shannon, a self-proclaimed witch, told Local 10′s Crime Specialist Bridgette Matter from the Broward County Jail that he did not kill Cavett.
“I can’t go into the particulars of the case like that because this is being recorded, but me and her had previous acquaintances together,” Ryan said.
Detectives said they found through Facebook messages that Cavett wanted to be Ryan’s apprentice. Ryan said he taught her to read tarot cards.
“I teach witchcraft, things of that nature, yeah I do tarot card readings,” Ryan said.
By May 2023, the case was finally moving toward trial.
A trial had been scheduled for May 2023, but Shannon’s defense obtained another continuance.
The trial was subsequently moved to August 18, 2023. That trial did not happen.
The case remained active throughout 2024.
Court records showed additional hearings and defense activity, including depositions.
A June 2024 defense continuance pushed matters further, with a calendar call scheduled for later that year.
There was more movement in 2025.
Court records referenced hearings concerning inspection of the physical evidence in the case. Two hearings were listed for June 13 and June 30, 2025 for inspection of evidence.
According to the latest court-docket information we could find, Shannon is now scheduled for a jury trial, this month – September 2026.
The case is:
State of Florida v. Shannon Ryan
Case No. 21004543CF10A
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000.00 for information leading to the location of 21-year-old mother Leila Cavett, who mysteriously disappeared on or about July 25, 2020.
“The FBI is actively seeking information relating to the whereabouts of Leila Cavett,” said George L. Piro, special agent in charge, FBI Miami. “We are still relentlessly investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Any information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, may be important to finding Leila. We thank those who have already provided information and urge other members of our community to come forward.”
If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of Leila Cavett, please call FBI Miami at 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to FBI.GOV/TIPS.
The FBI along with the Miramar Police Department and Hollywood Police Department continue their investigation.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/missing-mom-leila-cavett-wandering-toddler-kamdyn
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article244932422.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article245003380.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article245003380.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article245003380.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/self-proclaimed-witch-charged-kidnapping-missing-mom-leila-cavett