Recent reports of a missing child have left many Muncie, Indiana, residents wondering how a little boy could disappear without anyone realizing it for nearly five years.

Hayden Manis, now just a few months from his 10th birthday, was last seen in early 2020. The boy was believed to be living with his father, Dustin Manis, but a chance encounter between two relatives revealed that Dustin had told several conflicting stories about Hayden’s whereabouts. Law enforcement is now trying to recover from a years-long delay following the death of the main person of interest, his father, Dustin Manis.

In early September 2024, more than a year after Dustin’s last text to a family member, two of Hayden’s great-grandmothers ran into each other at the grocery store and began discussing Dustin and his son. One said that Dustin had told her that DCS gave his mother full custody in 2022, but the other had heard nothing about that. After some discussion, the extremely concerned family reached out to both DCS and the police, requesting a welfare check for Hayden.

Nearly five years after he was last seen, nine-year-old Hayden Manis is now reported missing. While family members last saw him on Christmas Eve 2019, investigators say they have a verified sighting of Hayden by someone other than his father on January 11, 2020.

Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies are desperate to locate Hayden Manis and are asking the public for help. Hayden has brown hair and blue eyes. At the time of his disappearance, the then four-year-old was 3’4” and weighed roughly 50 pounds, but he will soon be almost 10 years old, with his birthday coming up in May. If you have any information on Hayden Manis, missing from Muncie, Indiana, please call the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office at (765) 747-7885.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

Additional Guests

Eric Hoffman – Prosecuting Attorney, 46th Judicial Circuit of Indiana, Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office,   www.co.delaware.in.us/department/?fDD=16-0, Facebook: www.facebook.com/Delacopros, Twitter: @ProsecutorDelCo,

Ben Powers  – Criminal Defense Attorney, Facebook: Legal Powers PLLC, https://legalpowers.com

Dr. Cheryl Arutt  – Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist specializing in Trauma Recovery, PTSD and EMDR,   askdrcheryl.com,  CreativeEMDR.com , IG: @askdrcheryl

Douglas Walker – Crime and Justice Reporter from The Star Press, website: thestarpress.com; Twitter: @DouglasWalkerSP

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.

[Feature Photo: Family Handout]