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Kayla Bailey was found alive in a wooded area after a two-day search in Jacksonville. Her mother says an investigator came to her and said, “We found your baby.”
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The mother of missing Jacksonville woman Kayla Bailey described her daughter’s safe return as a happy ending after a frantic two-day search that gripped their community.
Bailey, a well-known newborn photographer and mother of five, was reported missing early Monday, prompting neighbors, police K-9 teams, and drones to comb the wooded area near her home.
She was found alive Wednesday morning, lying on the ground less than a mile away from where she disappeared.
It was inside her daughter’s home when Lisa Lucas heard the words she’d been praying for from an investigator.
“She just took my hands and said, ‘We found your baby, and she’s alive, and you will hold your baby and see her,’” Lucas told First Coast News.
Lucas recounted the intensity of the search, describing law enforcement diving into a nearby lake and neighbors searching by foot.
“There’s not enough words for this community, for this neighborhood,” Lucas said. “They were out there even before the official search started.”
Bailey spent two days without food, water, or shelter before teams spotted her moving her feet among thick brush.
“She knew somebody needed to find her, I think, and that’s why she was able to wiggle those toes,” Lucas said.
Rainfall during those days may have helped Bailey survive, her mother believes.
“I know she was able to hold her mouth open to get water,” Lucas added. “I know God soaked her to cool her body.”
Bailey was taken to a local hospital after she was rescued. Lucas says she hasn’t yet been able to speak directly with her daughter, but confirms Kayla is safe and receiving care.
Police said Bailey’s husband, who reported her missing, was arrested Wednesday on charges of violating a protection order and probation. Investigators emphasized that his arrest was not connected to Bailey’s disappearance.
Authorities plan to interview Bailey to learn more about what prompted her to leave. Meanwhile, her mother hopes for answers and says she never stopped believing her daughter would come home.
“Sometimes these stories aren’t a happy ending,” Lucas said. “As her mother, I never let her go. I said I’m not gonna lose another daughter.”
