A self-proclaimed witch doctor has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a young mother, even though investigators never recovered her body.
Leila Cavett, 21, reportedly drove from Georgia to Florida with her son, Kamdyn, in her white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on July 24, 2020.
Cavett was last captured on surveillance footage the following day at a RaceTrac gas station in Hollywood, Florida. The footage showed her getting into a Lexus sedan.
Her family feared she had left with Kamdyn to meet someone she had encountered online.
At about 8 a.m. on July 26, Kamdyn was found alone in a parking lot outside an apartment complex in Miramar. The two-year-old was barefoot and dressed only in a T-shirt and diaper.
Cavett’s pickup truck was discovered abandoned two days later in a nearby Walmart parking lot.
On August 25, 2020, Shannon Ryan, 38, was arrested and charged with kidnapping in connection with Cavett’s disappearance.
Ryan, who described himself online as a witch and chakra master offering “spiritual enlightenment” and meditation advice to more than 19,000 followers, was convicted Friday of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Leila Cavett, 21, reportedly traveled from Georgia to Florida with her two-year-old son, Kamdyn, before disappearing six years ago. Source: @LeilaCavett – Missing Updates & Discussion/Facebook
Self-proclaimed internet witch Shannon Ryan, 38, was the last person seen with Cavett in July 2020. Source: @ShannonRyan/Facebook
A search warrant gave investigators access to Ryan’s cellphone data, which showed he searched Google for “does bleach and alcohol make chloroform.” Source: @ShannonRyan/Facebook
According to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by the Daily Mail, Ryan was the last person seen with Cavett. His Lexus was parked in the Walmart lot directly beside the RaceTrac station.
Investigators, assisted by the FBI in 2022, found that Ryan had used Cavett’s debit card to buy carpet odor remover, trash bags and duct tape from Walmart.
Security footage also showed Ryan entering the RaceTrac with a bottle of cleaner later identified as containing bleach. He was subsequently seen with the bottle beside Cavett’s truck, which had been parked near a dumpster outside the station.
Investigators said surveillance footage showed Ryan repeatedly moving between the truck, the dumpster and a trash can. Women’s clothing and children’s toys were later found discarded in those areas.
The footage also showed Ryan dragging a large object wrapped in a black garbage bag from the truck to the dumpster and placing what appeared to be bloodstained towels in a trash can.
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Cellphone data obtained through a search warrant showed that Ryan searched online for “does bleach and alcohol make chloroform” during the night Cavett was last seen.
The National Institutes of Health states that chloroform is commonly used to incapacitate people by causing unconsciousness.
The phone records also showed that Ryan visited the local waste management website and looked up the schedule for commercial trash collection.
Before his arrest, Ryan posted a 50-minute Facebook video discussing his relationship and interactions with Cavett. In the video, he described the young mother as a manipulative thief who had wasted his time.
Ryan was seen going back and forth between Cavett’s truck and a dumpster near the gas station and a Walmart. Source: @LeilaCavett – Missing Updates & Discussion/Facebook
Investigators also found that Ryan purchased carpet odor eliminator, trash bags and duct tape from the Walmart, using Cavett’s debit card. Source: @LeilaCavett – Missing Updates & Discussion/Facebook
Ryan’s attorney said she is planning to file an appeal to his sentencing
In the video, he also claimed to have helped her out while she was struggling with homelessness. Cavett was never found.
A jury found Ryan guilty on Friday and he was sentenced to life in prison.
Ryan has maintained his innocence and his defense attorney told reporters that she is planning to file an appeal. Ryan has 30 days to file his motion.
Gina Cavett, Leila’s sister, asked Ryan during the sentencing to reveal what happened to her and said: ‘My sister is more than a victim. She was a daughter, a sister and, most importantly, a mother,’ CBS Miami reported.
Her brother, Curtis, also demanded: ‘I want the truth. I want to know what you did to my sister. I want to know where she is.’
Kamdyn, who is now eight, shared a statement that a victim advocate read out loud: ‘I don’t remember much about my mom because I was so little.
‘I wish she was here so we could go to Dollywood and go ride dirt bikes together and eat sushi.’
In a September Facebook statement, Leila’s other sister Tyunia wrote: ‘Kamdyn may not have his mother in physical form anymore but he will know her for who she was, not who the defense will try to make her out to be.’