The mother and stepfather of a missing Kentucky child discovered dead after she allegedly overdosed him with sleeping pills have been charged with his death.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for the 39th Judicial Circuit has charged Felicia Gross, 33, with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement, and tampering with a witness. She has been behind bars since last week.
Joshua Gross, her husband, is now accused of complicity in murder, falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and witness tampering.
The investigation stems from the disappearance of 10-year-old Jayden Spicer, who was discovered dead in a shallow grave on Tuesday.
“On Tuesday afternoon, they did a job that no one should ever have to do, and there’s just no way we can ever adequately thank them for that service — but we can try,” Miranda King, the state’s deputy attorney general, wrote. “On Tuesday night, I told you that Jayden was in good hands and that we would take care of him. Today marked the next stage in that promise.”
Felicia and Joshua Gross are being held in the Three Forks Regional Jail on $1 million bond.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Jayden was reported missing on August 6 in Jackson, a small town approximately 100 miles southeast of Lexington.
State troopers committed significant resources to the search and rescue operation. Less than a week later, police discovered a ruse, according to an arrest citation obtained by Law&Crime.
According to troopers, Gross admitted to her role in her son’s death during a Mirandized interview at the Jackson Police Department headquarters.
“[S]he confessed to providing Jayden a type of sleeping medication,” according to the citation. “Ms. Gross further stated that this medication caused Jayden to have a medical emergency and she believed that he had passed away from this medical emergency.”
Jayden was last seen alive on August 5; both parents reported that the child went to bed that evening but was missing by the next morning, and “his whereabouts were unknown,” according to police.
Details about the young boy were shared to aid the search; he was thought to be wearing blue “Sonic the Hedgehog” pajamas. Jayden was described as 5 feet 1 with a slim build, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
“We have a lot of different tools in place, and we’re going to continue to search until our resources are exhausted,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said as the search lasted several days.
Gayheart told a press conference on Aug. 12 that the boy’s remains were discovered around 3 p.m. earlier that day, buried in a shallow grave amid a wooded area on Canoe Road in Jackson, according to Charleston, West Virginia-based ABC affiliate WCHS and Lexington, Kentucky-based CBS affiliate WKYT.
The discovery occurred on Panbowl Branch Road, approximately 19 miles southwest of the family’s home, as a result of the mother’s alleged confession.
“Ms. Gross further stated in the interview that she had transported Jayden’s body to a wooded area on Canoe Road near the mouth of Joe Little Fork,” according to the arrest notice. “A search warrant was prepared and executed on this property and Jayden’s remains were located buried underground in a plastic tote.”
Troopers also claimed Gross instructed her other children to lie about their brother’s death while the search for the boy continued.
According to state police, the defendant even wrote a handwritten note pleading with the public for help in finding Jayden.
“Two of Jayden’s siblings were interviewed at the Care Cottage in Hazard several days prior to this confession,” the citation reads, referring to a child advocacy center. “Ms. Gross admitted to ‘coaching’ the siblings into what to say during the interview.”
During the search, Jayden’s aunts publicly challenged the official narrative.
“He is a good boy. He is very sweet and loving. He is extremely hyperactive. “He likes to be on the go all the time,” one of his aunts told WKYT. “He dislikes insects and the dark. Any child can go anywhere, but it seems unbelievable that he would go up there.
An autopsy will be performed on Jayden’s body to determine the exact cause of death.
“While this is not the outcome that we had hoped for, we certainly are grateful that we were able to bring him out of the woods today,” King stated during the press conference, according to Lexington-based ABC and MyNetworkTV affiliate WTVQ. “I would like to assure the public that now, thanks to these guys, Jayden is now in good hands, and we’re gonna take care of him.”
