In the early morning hours of June 6, 2015, in Pendleton, South Carolina, one-year-old female Leaona Wright was seen for the last time. Her mother, Kiara Sullivan, had returned to their apartment at the Edgewood Square complex around 5:30 a.m. after being at a party. The care of Leaona and her two older siblings had been left to Sullivan's boyfriend, Travis Devon Jones.
According to the initial account given to law enforcement, Sullivan gave Leaona a cup of juice, checked on her again about an hour later, and then went to sleep. At approximately 9:30 a.m., Sullivan and Jones claimed they awoke to find the apartment door wide open and little Leaona gone. They suggested that Leaona's three-year-old sister might have opened the door, allowing the one-year-old, who was not yet walking but could crawl, to get out. A neighbor placed a 911 call at 9:47 a.m. to report the child missing, sparking a search and an investigation that would soon cast doubt on the initial story.
Investigators began to question the plausibility of the parents' account, stating that the three-year-old sister would not have been able to open the locked apartment door on her own. Suspicions grew, and law enforcement openly stated their belief that both Kiara Sullivan and Travis Jones had lied about the circumstances of Leaona's disappearance and were hindering the investigation. Within weeks, the case took a darker turn. Leaona's two siblings were taken into protective custody by the Department of Social Services. Subsequently, both Sullivan and Jones were arrested on charges of unlawful child neglect after Leaona's three-year-old sister tested positive for exposure to methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. Both adults also tested positive for drugs, and Jones admitted to using them while caring for the children. This development further eroded the credibility of their initial report and pointed towards a troubling environment within the home, though these charges were separate from the ongoing missing person case.
Years passed without a sign of Leaona, but investigators continued to work the case, publicly identifying Travis Jones as a suspect in 2018. A significant development occurred in July 2020 when authorities arrested Travis Jones and charged him with homicide by child abuse. The arrest warrant alleged that on the day Leaona disappeared, Jones had willfully neglected and abandoned the child, leading to her death under circumstances that showed an extreme indifference to human life. Shortly after, Jones's brother, Donnie Roderick Jones, was also charged with being an accessory after the fact and with the desecration of human remains. However, in a stunning turn of events in December 2021, a judge dismissed all charges against both brothers, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. Despite this legal setback, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office has remained steadfast in their commitment to finding justice for Leaona, whose body has never been found. The investigation into her disappearance remains open, with authorities still believing she was a victim of foul play and expressing hope that new evidence will emerge to hold those responsible accountable.Last Seen: Jun 6, 2015
