Authorities have released video that shows Leila Cavett, an Atlanta mom who has been missing for weeks, at a Florida gas station. The man charged in connection to her disappearance was also last seen near the store.
On Thursday, the FBI began collecting evidence, including two dumpsters, at a Race Trac in Hollywood, Florida, where they say Cavett, 21, was last seen and Shannon Ryan, the man who claims to be the last person to her, was also spotted, according to news station Local 10.
In a criminal complaint filed in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, the FBI said video evidence does not support Shannon Ryan's claims that he saw Leila Cavett and her 2-year-old son Kamdyn get into another person's vehicle. Investigators also say he bought odor eliminator, duct tape and extra-large garbage bags around the time of her disappearance.
Ryan, 38, is charged with kidnapping a victim with the intent of collecting a ransom, reward or other benefit. According to reports, Ryan refers to himself as a witch and an oracle.
The criminal complaint said Ryan told investigators he has known Cavett since around January 2019. He said she had come to South Florida with her young son Kamdyn to sell him her pickup truck.
“Leila’s separation from her son is completely out of character,” FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge George Piro said. “Her family and others in our community are very concerned about her safety and well-being.”
The dumpsters could be key evidence
Police say a gas station employee reported that Ryan used the store’s dumpsters. and once he left, the dumpsters were filled with children’s toys and women’s clothing, according to the news station’s report.
In his criminal complaint, it says he was on his phone searching Hollywood commercial garbage pickup dates.
Ryan posted a Facebook video on his page on Aug. 9, discussing the nature of his relationship with Cavett. In the nearly hour-long video, Ryan said he helped Cavett when she was homeless, but he once threatened her with a hex after she allegedly stole items from him. In the video, Ryan said he covered a window of her truck with a garbage bag because the window was broken prior to her disappearance.
Surveillance video shows that no windows were broken on the vehicle while it was at the gas station on July 25, but when her truck was discovered days later, the driver’s-side window was broken and the driver-side visor was bent.
The video shows Cavett getting out of a Lexus, but her Chevy pickup truck is also seen on footage later that same afternoon. The last image of her on the surveillance shows the Atlanta mom inside the gas station around 10 p.m.
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for any tips that can lead to Leila Cavett’s whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or to submit a tip via FBI.GOV/TIPS.
