44 year old Shannon Ryan has been found guilty of second degree murder in the disappearance of 21 year old Leila Cavett.
Cavett was last seen at a gas station in Hollywood Florida in July 2020. Her body has never been found.
Ryan, a self-proclaimed with doctor, faces a possible sentence of life in prison at sentencing, scheduled for October 23.
The Disappearance of Leila Cavett
At the time of her disappearance, Leila Cavett was living with her 2-year-old son, Kamdyn, in Dawsonville, Georgia. She is a single mother.
On July 17, 2020, Leila Cavett was last seen by her family when she made a video phone call to her sister. They talked for about an hour and everything seemed fine.
On July 24, 2020, Cavett and her son traveled from Georgia to Florida in her vehicle, a White Chevy Silverado 3500 pickup truck with a red tailgate and a “Baby on Board” sign on the passenger window.
That day, Cavett was captured on surveillance video at Cracker Barrel, a restaurant chain in Vero Beach, Florida near Interstate 95. She also spent time in Hollywood, Miramar, and Fort Lauderdale Beach.
On July 25, 2020, Cavett and her son were last seen on surveillance video leaving a RaceTrac gas station in Hollywood, Florida and getting into a Lexus sedan. Leila Cavett has never been heard from again.
At 8:00 am on July 26, 2020, Cavett’s 2-year-old son was found wandering alone in a parking lot outside an apartment complex on South West 67th Avenue in Miramar, Florida. He was barefoot and wearing only a t-shirt and a diaper.
Investigation
On July 28, 2020, Cavett’s White Chevy 3500 was found abandoned in the parking lot of a Walmart in Hollywood, Florida, roughly five miles from where her son was found. The vehicle’s side window was broken and the driver’s side visor was bent out of position.
Man Arrested in Connection to Disappearance of Leila Cavett
On August 25, 2020, 38-year-old Shanon Demar Ryan was arrested and charged with one count of kidnapping in connection with Cavett’s disappearance. He was allegedly the last person seen with her at the gas station.
Authorities stated that they originally found Cavett’s vehicle at the Walmart parking lot on July 27th. They set up surveillance on the truck before Ryan approached the vehicle the next day with the keys in hand.
Ryan claimed on social media that he had met Cavett in 2019 when she showed up with her son at his home to seek shelter after her car broke down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He says he let them stay for two months and taught her witchcraft during that time.
Ryan told police that he met Cavett on July 25th at a gas station in Hollywood, Florida, around 2:30 pm, after she had traveled from Georgia to sell him her pickup truck.
Ryan claimed that they spent some time at the beach later that day before Cavett and her son left with other men the next day.
Man Faced Murder Charge in Connection to Disappearance of Leila Cavett
Authorities searched Ryan’s vehicle, a gold Lexus, and found a half-empty container of all-purpose cleaner, trash bags, and a white powdery substance under the front passenger seat among other things.
On July 26, 2020, Ryan was found to have made purchases with Cavett’s debit card for extra large bags, carpet deodorizers, and duct tape at a Walmart near the gas station where she was last seen.
On July 27, 2020, Ryan was subsequently captured on surveillance video dragging a large object wrapped in black garbage bags from Cavett’s truck to a dumpster. He was also seen throwing away what appeared to be bloody towels.
On April 21, 2021, Shanon Demar Ryan was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in Leila Cavett’s disappearance. He also faces one count of child neglect without great bodily harm.
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