Search underway for 4-year-old Alabama boy last seen on New Year’s Eve

A search is underway in Alabama for a four-year-old boy who has been missing since New Year’s Eve.

Johnathan Everett Boley was last seen around 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday in a wooded and rural area of Jasper, Ala., according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

The missing child is believed to be in danger, according to Walker County Police Department Sheriff Nick Smith. Boley was last seen wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants and Paw Patrol shoes.

The Walker County Sheriff’s Office received a call about the missing child around 12:30 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve, Smith told reporters on Thursday.

Smith said it was reported to police that Boley was with his six-year-old brother and their black Labrador retriever when he disappeared. Authorities did not provide information about the location of the older child but they did confirm that the dog is also missing.

“The indications were that Johnathan and his brother were outside playing around the fence line with a dog,” Smith said in a briefing. “The brother said that the dog and his brother went across the fence line.

“Talking to one of the neighbours, that dog showed up pretty much every day on their game cameras at their corn feeder. The last time that he has the dog on his camera was on the 26th, the afternoon of the 26th.”

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Police searched Boley’s home and began an air and ground search using helicopters with thermal detection and canines that went until 3 a.m. and resumed on Thursday morning, Smith said.

Boley and his brother live with their mother in Florida but were visiting their father. They were supposed to be returned to their mother before the younger boy was reported missing.

As part of the custody agreement, the father, Jameson Kyle Boley, was given five days a year for visitation, Smith said.

The mother travelled to Alabama from Florida on Wednesday evening and is co-operating with authorities, according to Smith.

Police have not said whether the father has also been co-operating on the matter and neither of the parents have been charged in the disappearance at this time.

During the search of the home, Smith said there has been evidence of “explosive devices” on the father’s property.

“The father has been charged. It’s nothing to do with the connection of the missing child. It’s something totally separate but it’s still a factor that’s hindering our search,” Smith said.

“We have a search warrant for the property that they are having to take care of some explosive devices before we can actually get inside the residence and start doing a thorough search.”

Smith said authorities had suspended the search for civilians due to devices that appeared to be explosives found on the father’s property.

“We’ve asked them to refrain from searching at this time until we’re able to identify at least eight other explosive devices. We do not believe that they’re charged but I cannot say that to be sure until they are examined by the FBI bomb and explosives team,” he added earlier on Thursday.

When asked if police have any indication of why the explosive devices were on the property to begin with, Smith said, “The father is prior military. It’s just something that neighbours have said they’ve been hearing explosions for weeks now. They just didn’t know where it came from.”

“The morning before the report came in, one of the neighbours reported that they heard an explosion around 4 a.m. that morning,” he added.

In an update later on Thursday, Smith said the eight devices flagged as explosive were cleared as not explosive and volunteers can continue to help with the search as of 7 a.m. on Friday.

“The house has been cleared. Now our investigators are inside trying to collect any additional evidence to maybe help us find this child,” Smith said.

He also commended the community support in the search for Boley, saying that 126 first responders from nearby agencies and 161 volunteers helped cover over 500 acres on Thursday in the search.

Jameson Kyle Boley is charged with unlawful manufacture of a destructive device or bacteriological weapon, according to legal documents filed by the District Court of Walker County.

He has also been charged with two counts of chemical endangerment of a child, according to another legal filing.