The search continues for an Indiana boy who police learned was missing this past September — even though he has not been seen in five years.
Hayden Manis, a 4-year-old boy, was last seen by his family during a Christmas gathering back in 2019. The Star Press mentioned that investigators had conversations with individuals who claimed to have spotted Manis in 2020.
Reports from WTHR indicate that Manis was residing with his father at the time he went missing. Allegedly, the father was struggling with substance abuse issues which had a negative impact on his ability to parent — resulting in him and the child’s mother losing custody of Manis in 2016 due to testing positive for cocaine. During the same year, Manis and his father were supposedly discovered in a hotel room with heroin.
Manis’ father supposedly informed law enforcement that the Department of Children and Families had taken his son in 2022 and handed him over to his mother. However, authorities have refuted this claim, stating that such an event never transpired.
The Star Press reported that Manis’ father — who likely knows what happened to the boy — died of a drug overdose in December 2024. His death came days after he was allegedly found in possession of meth and heroin.
According to the news outlet, investigators have conducted multiple searches, including one involving cadaver dogs.
WTHR reported that a search was conducted at a home in Eaton where Manis’ father lived last year. Police also searched a home in Munie where Manis’ father lived with an ex-girlfriend and the ex’s family.
Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said Manis’ family is the primary person of interest. He also told WTHR that police interviewed Manis’ ex-girlfriend and her father, who owned the home. The family eventually sold the home and moved out of state.
No charges have been filed in this case.
“It’s haunting. It’s definitely haunting, some of the facts of this case,” Hoffman said. “Based on the evidence I’ve seen and the interviews that have been conducted, I do not have a reason to believe that [he is alive].”
[Feature Photo: Handout]
