IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

'Mysterious' disappearance of Georgia mom on visit to Florida with son, 2, is probed by FBI

Leila Cavett was last seen on July 26, a day after she arrived in South Florida with her 2-year-old son, who was later found wandering outside barefoot and alone.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help in locating a Georgia mother who disappeared while visiting Florida with her 2-year-old son, who was later found wandering barefoot and alone at an apartment complex.

Leila Cavett, 21, was last seen on July 26, a day after she arrived in South Florida with her son, Kamdyn, according to George Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami field office.

"We believe that some people who are familiar with the circumstances surrounding Leila's disappearance remain in our community, while some have left the area," Piro said at a news conference Thursday.

"We're investigating every possibility as to why Leila went missing. Additionally, along with our other law enforcement partners, we are aggressively pursuing a large number of leads to reunite Kamdyn and Leila."

Police are searching for Leila Cavett who went missing in Florida.
Police are searching for Leila Cavett who went missing in Florida.via Miramar Police Dept.

Piro said Cavett, of Dawsonville, Georgia, arrived in South Florida on July 25 and spent time in Hollywood, Miramar and Fort Lauderdale Beach before she disappeared.

Photos released by the FBI showed that Cavett and her son visited a gas station in Hollywood multiple times on July 25. Another image from that same day showed her at the gas station exiting and entering a Lexus sedan. Piro said at Thursday's news conference that investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying the vehicle.

"We're trying to identify and contact everyone who she might have spoken to or come in contact with," he said.

The mother vanished just hours before her son was found July 26 walking alone without shoes at an apartment complex in Miramar, according to authorities. The little boy was wearing only a T-shirt and a diaper.

Ebony Williams, a resident of the area, told reporters at a news conference that she had just arrived home when she saw the toddler outside and realized he was by himself.

“I asked him where his mommy was, and he just kind of pointed everywhere,” she said, according to Dateline. “I reached out my hand for him, he grabbed my hand. And I just walked around the complex hoping I would find somebody looking for him, or calling his name.”

When Williams could not find the child's parents, she called 911.

Leila Cavett's son was found wandering alone in Miramar, Fla.
Leila Cavett's son was found wandering alone in Miramar, Fla.Miramar Police Dept.

Miramar Police responded and said in a Facebook post that officers "spent hours canvassing the area, knocking on doors, speaking with neighbors and even those who drove through the area" to find the child's parents, but they were nowhere to be found.

A police department spokesperson told Dateline that family members came forward after pictures of the child circulated on social media.

Piro said Cavett's being separated from her son "is completely out of character."

"Her family and others in our community are very concerned about her safety and well-being," he said at Thursday's news conference.

Cavett's car, a white Chevy pickup truck, was located on July 28 in Hollywood, roughly five miles from where her son was found.

Gina Lewis, Cavett's sister, told NBC 6 that she doesn't know why Cavett was in Florida.

“It’s not out of character for her to go places, but it’s definitely out of character for her to be in Florida," she said. "We’re in Alabama, she lives in Georgia. If it’s not those two states, we don’t understand why she would be here, for sure.”

Family members and an attorney they have hired did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.

Piro said the FBI is not ready to reveal "all the information that we have" but called the disappearance "very, very mysterious."

The Miramar and Hollywood police departments are also assisting with the investigation. Cavett's son is safe and in the custody of child services, authorities said.