MIRAMAR, Fla. – A person who claims to be a “witch” and is accused of second-degree murder in the case of a Georgia woman whose toddler was discovered wandering alone in a South Florida parking lot over three years ago now has a new court date.
Shannon Ryan, who is also facing charges of tampering with evidence and child neglect, is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on November 17, 2023, in Broward County, Florida, according to court records. Virtual interviews are set to take place on December 15, 2023, as per documents obtained by FOX 5.
The trial for Ryan has been postponed multiple times. The case revolves around the disappearance of Leila Cavett, a 21-year-old woman from Atlanta, during her trip to South Florida on July 25, 2020. Reportedly, Cavett had moved from Georgia to Florida to work for Ryan.
Surveillance footage shows Cavett at a RaceTrac gas station in Hollywood, Florida. Despite extensive searches across multiple states, Cavett has not been located.
Ryan, who identifies as a “witch doctor,” initially told law enforcement that he saw Cavett and her child getting into a car with a group of men. However, surveillance video at a gas station in Hollywood contradicted his account, showing Cavett last seen in the passenger seat of Ryan’s gold Lexus on July 25.
The FBI released photos of Cavett with her 2-year-old son inside the store at 3 p.m. and again at 10 p.m. on the same day. The toddler was later found barefoot and in a soiled diaper in a Miramar apartment parking lot.
On that morning, Ryan purchased carpet deodorant, trash bags, and duct tape from a Walmart store. Surveillance footage at the gas station also captured Ryan returning there with a bottle of bleach, moving between Cavett’s white pickup truck and a dumpster. Women’s clothing and toys were later discovered in the dumpster. Despite extensive searches, including in a Broward County landfill, Cavett’s body has not been located.
After seeing the child’s image on social media and contacting the police, Cavett’s family in Jasper, Alabama, sought custody of the boy.