Cops hunt 4-year-old boy whose disappearance 5 years ago was just reported

A small boy who was last seen five years ago and was just recently reported missing has left authorities in Delaware County, Indiana, scrambling for answers.

Four-year-old Hayden Manis, who had been living with his grandparents, was last seen on Christmas Eve in 2019. The child had just been reunited with his father, Dustin Manis, who regained custody after completing court-ordered probation, drug treatment, and counseling.

According to reporting from The Independent, Dustin kept in touch with the family via Facebook but never produced the child. He reportedly told family and police that Hayden's mother had the boy, "but authorities later confirmed that was a lie and the Department of Child Services never placed Hayden with her."

“We think [Hayden] actually went missing sometime in 2020 but, so far, we have not been able to pinpoint an actual date,” Delaware County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jeff Stanley told 13News in Indianapolis.

ALSO READ: 'Hero': Latest school shooter celebrated as followers float copycat plans

Dustin's last direct message to his aunt in 2023 read, "Hey aunt barb, I promise on everything all is well,” he wrote,“[I] promise [I’ve] just been having a lot going on try to work on my family that I am making and what not I appreciate u reaching out and checking.”

Muncie, Indiana, police arrested Dustin on drug charges in November 2024. He died a month later from a drug overdose, The Independent reported.

“Just because Dustin Manis is dead does not mean the investigation is dead. We’re still going forward,” Delaware County prosecutor Eric Hoffman told 13News.

Hoffman also said he no longer believes the boy, who would be 9 years old, is still alive.

“It’s haunting. It’s definitely haunting, some of the facts of this case,” Hoffman said. “There are very few days I come to this office and I don’t think about Hayden Manis. This case is on my mind, and it’s on the investigators’ minds on a daily basis. We’re not going to stop until we get to an answer. We need to know the truth.”

Read the story in The Independent here.