JaDynn Jones, a 14-year-old boy, went missing from the Withers Ridge area in Mission Bend on June 15.
He was last seen by his mother at 2:39 a.m. at their home, wearing a navy blue shirt and black pants.
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JaDynn has special needs and could be nervous if approached.
Shirly Mapp, JaDynn’s mother, has been relentlessly searching for her son.
UPDATE: Mapp is inviting community members to join a search effort on Friday, June 28, at 5 p.m. The gathering will take place at Four Corners Recreation Center, located at 15700 Old Richmond Road in Sugar Land.
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Jones, who struggles with emotional issues and depression, had a meltdown after his toys were taken away and was put on a timeout before being told to go to bed.
“When I woke up, he was gone. And he’s just been gone. He’s done it before, but whenever he’s left home, he’ll be at the park down the street, just outside him, just walking in circles with his head down. Or he’ll sit behind a corner store by the house. And I don’t know what draws him to these two places, but that’s where he would be. Now he’s just, like, disappeared without a trace. He’s just gone,” Mapp explained.
“When I made the initial report that JaDynn was missing, I was told he would be entered into their system and put on BOLO (Be On the Lookout). But he wasn’t entered until I went back and spoke with a different detective,” Mapp explained. “It wasn’t until then that it got escalated, and I found out one of the other detectives saw my son walking around at a park near her house.”
Mapp shared her frustrations with the response from law enforcement, stating, “The Fort Bend County Sheriff is treating it like a runaway case, like he doesn’t deserve to be found because he’s left before. It blows me away for someone who is supposed to be finding missing and exploited children to say, ‘Didn’t he run away last time?’ and imply they’re not going to waste resources on him.”
JaDynn’s vulnerability due to his special needs is a significant concern for Mapp.
“He doesn’t realize when he’s in danger. He can talk to anyone and think they’re his friend,” she said.
Mapp also detailed the challenges in locating JaDynn, mentioning a detective who was convinced she saw JaDynn walking near her house multiple mornings but after several days of rain no longer saw him.
“If he was listed as missing under a BOLO, she would have recognized my son and done something because she was very concerned and scared for him,” Mapp said.
In her desperate search for JaDynn, Mapp has been tirelessly driving around, looking for any sign of her son.
“I’ve been driving day and night, looking for my son. I look in stores and grocery stores nearby, but he has to get food. He doesn’t have any money,” Mapp said. “I don’t understand why this isn’t being escalated. He’s a child, not an adult, and he’s out there somewhere.”
The community is urged to keep an eye out for JaDynn and report any sightings or information to the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.