Fourteen-year-old Ethan David Stafford was last reported missing from Spring Hill, Tennessee, on May 5, 2026. Ethan, a White male with blond or strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes, was described as approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. According to the official missing-person record, he left without permission, but the publicly available information does not identify the specific place he departed from, describe the clothing he was wearing, explain whether he carried
any belongings, or name a possible destination. The Spring Hill Police Department opened the investigation under local case number 2026000666, while the case was also published through the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as MP159752. The limited circumstances released publicly have left a troubling gap between Ethan’s departure and his later whereabouts, making any reliable information about his movements important to those trying to ensure his safety.
The May disappearance was not the first time authorities had sought the public’s help locating Ethan. Two months earlier, on March 4, 2026, Fayetteville police reported that he had last been seen at approximately 8:30 p.m. near the former Lincoln County hospital on Maple Street West in Fayetteville, Tennessee. During that earlier incident, Ethan was reportedly wearing all-black clothing, and investigators said he might have traveled toward the Huntsville, Alabama, area. His direction of travel was otherwise unknown. Local news coverage described him using the same general physical characteristics later listed in the Spring Hill case: a 14-year-old boy standing about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing approximately 120 pounds, with blond hair. Fayetteville police subsequently reported that Ethan had been located alive. Public reports did not explain where he was found, who located him, or the circumstances surrounding his return.
The later Spring Hill case began after Ethan again left without permission in early May. Official records list May 5 as the date of last contact, while the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children lists May 6, 2026, as the date he was last seen. The reason for this one-day discrepancy has not been publicly explained, and it may reflect differences between the date of departure, the last confirmed contact, or the date used when information was entered into separate systems. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assigned Ethan case number 2088068 and NCIC number M068883285. Its public poster identifies him as a missing male from Spring Hill and lists his current age as 15, reflecting that he had a birthday after disappearing. The poster does not provide additional circumstances concerning where he may have gone or whom he may have contacted.
The Spring Hill investigation appears separate from the earlier Fayetteville episode because police confirmed that Ethan had been located following the March disappearance before the May report was filed. Even so, the earlier incident provides important context. It shows that Ethan had previously traveled or was believed capable of traveling beyond the immediate area where he was last seen, and authorities had considered the possibility that he might be in Huntsville. No official source has stated that he returned to Huntsville during the later disappearance, however, and there is no publicly released evidence establishing a connection between that possibility and his May movements. The available information also does not identify friends, relatives, online contacts, vehicles, or transportation routes that might be relevant to the Spring Hill case. Because Ethan is a minor and may have moved between communities, even a seemingly ordinary encounter could help investigators reconstruct the period after he left.
The Spring Hill Police Department remains the primary agency identified in Ethan’s missing-child materials. Anyone with information about his whereabouts or contact with him is directed to call the department at 931-486-2632. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also accepts information through its 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678, and anyone who sees Ethan in an immediate or dangerous situation should contact 911. Reports should be based on direct observations or credible knowledge rather than speculation, particularly because inaccurate information can divert attention from meaningful leads. Ethan’s case is the story of a 14-year-old boy who was safely located after an earlier disappearance in March, but who was reported missing again after leaving without permission from Spring Hill on May 5, 2026. Public records provide only a brief account of that departure, no confirmed destination, and no explanation of what happened afterward. Overall, the case remains defined by two separate disappearances, a successful recovery after the first, and an unresolved search following the second, with investigators and those who care about Ethan continuing to depend on credible information that may help bring him home safely.Last Seen: May 5, 2026
