Kentucky State Police confirmed Tuesday that the body found in a remote section of Breathitt County is that of 10-year-old Jayden Spicer, ending a weeklong search with a grim discovery and a criminal case against his mother.
Authorities said a fresh tip led officers to a wooded area off Canoe Road, where they located the boy’s remains buried around 3 p.m. Trooper Matt Gayheart told reporters the body was found in a plastic tote buried underground several miles away from the family’s home on Panbowl Branch Road in Jackson.
The boy’s mother, 33-year-old Felicia Gross, now faces multiple charges, including second-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident, and witness tampering. She is being held in the Kentucky River Regional Jail. Court records show Gross previously served time for endangering the welfare of a minor.
An arrest citation provides a disturbing account of the events leading to Jayden’s death. On August 12, Gross confessed to giving her son a type of sleeping medication, believing it triggered a fatal “medical emergency.” Instead of contacting authorities, investigators say she moved his body to the secluded wooded site and buried him.
The citation also alleges that Gross coached two of Jayden’s siblings on what to tell investigators during interviews, days before she admitted her role in his death.
The search for Jayden began after Gross reported him missing, telling authorities she last saw him late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning of last week. The case quickly drew community attention as police, rescue teams, and volunteers scoured the surrounding area. That search ended with the discovery in the woods, which police say was the direct result of a new tip.
At a press conference Tuesday night, Kentucky State Police confirmed that Jayden’s body has been sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Investigators have not yet released an official cause of death, but the details in the arrest citation paint a picture of a case that combines elements of sudden tragedy with deliberate concealment.
The charges against Gross carry the potential for decades in prison if she is convicted. For the community, the news brings a heartbreaking conclusion to the search for a missing child and opens a new chapter in the form of a criminal trial.
Authorities have not disclosed whether additional arrests or charges are expected, but say the investigation remains active as they piece together the final days of Jayden Spicer’s life.
