A self-described witch doctor has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a young mother whose body has never been found.
Leila Cavett, 21, reportedly drove from Georgia to Florida with her son, Kamdyn, in a 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 video showed her getting into a Lexus sedan.
Her family initially feared that she had left with Kamdyn to meet someone she had connected with online.
At about 8 a.m. on July 26, 2020, 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.
Two days later, Cavett’s pickup truck was discovered abandoned in a nearby Walmart parking lot.
Shannon Ryan, then 38, was arrested on August 25, 2020, and charged with kidnapping in connection with Cavett’s disappearance.
Ryan, a self-proclaimed witch and chakra master who promoted “spiritual enlightenment” and meditation guidance to more than 19,000 online 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 in 2020. 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 later search warrant gave investigators access to Ryan’s cellphone data, revealing a Google search for “does bleach and alcohol make chloroform.” Source: @ShannonRyan/Facebook
According to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Our News Outlet, Ryan was the last person seen with Cavett at the RaceTrac. Ryan’s Lexus was parked in the adjacent Walmart parking lot.
Investigators, later joined by the FBI in 2022, determined that Ryan had used Cavett’s debit card to buy carpet odor eliminator, garbage bags and duct tape at Walmart.
Surveillance video also showed Ryan entering the RaceTrac with a bottle of cleaner later identified as containing bleach. Ryan was subsequently seen with the bottle near Cavett’s truck, which had been parked beside a dumpster near the gas station.
Investigators said the 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 the area.
Ryan was also seen pulling a large object covered by a black garbage bag from the truck toward the dumpster and placing what appeared to be bloodstained towels in a trash can.
A search warrant later enabled investigators to examine Ryan’s cellphone activity. The records showed a Google search made on the night Cavett disappeared: “does bleach and alcohol make chloroform.”
The National Institutes of Health says chloroform is commonly used to incapacitate people by causing unconsciousness.
The phone records also showed that Ryan visited the local waste management website and searched for the area’s commercial trash-collection schedule.
Before the arrest, Ryan posted a 50-minute video on Facebook discussing the relationship and interactions with Cavett. In the recording, Ryan described the young mother as a manipulative thief who had wasted Ryan’s 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.’
