A 4-year-old Florida boy who disappeared while visiting family over New Year’s has been found dead in Alabama.

Johnathan Everett Boley, known to family members as “John John,” was reported missing on New Year’s Eve after he wandered away from a rural property along Highway 195 near Jasper, Alabama, while playing outside with his dog, Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said during a news conference.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, volunteers, K-9 teams, drones and aircraft were deployed in the search, which covered several square miles of wooded land. 

Searchers found the child’s body Jan. 2 roughly two miles from the home, officials said. The dog was located alive nearby. Authorities did not immediately release a cause of death, with an official autopsy pending.

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“This is not the outcome anyone hoped for,” Smith said. “Our hearts go out to this family and everyone who worked tirelessly to bring this child home.”

Authorities said that the young boy and his siblings live with their mother in Florida and were visiting their father for the holidays under a custody arrangement.

The boy was last seen wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants and Paw Patrol shoes before he disappeared from the home.

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During the news conference, investigators announced the arrest of the boy’s father, Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, which occurred amid the search.

Officials said Boley was charged with unlawful manufacture of a destructive device after investigators discovered precursor materials at the property.

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According to a criminal complaint filed in Walker County District Court, Boley is accused of possessing precursor substances with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a destructive device or bacteriological weapon on or about Dec. 31, 2025, at the Highway 195 address. The charge is a felony under Alabama law, court records show.

Police said that the father’s charge is unrelated to the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance and death.

“At this time, there is no evidence indicating foul play in the child’s death, and these charges should not be conflated with the search for Johnathan,” Smith said.

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In Parrish, Florida, community members gathered for a candlelight vigil for the young boy.

“For so many of us, our hearts are broken over the tragic loss,” Reverend Douglas Scharf, bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, told FOX 13.

Authorities asked the public to allow the family privacy as they grieve and said additional information would be released when available.