Recent reports of a missing child have many Muncie, Indiana residents asking, how does a little boy disappear without anyone realizing for nearly 5 years? Hayden Manis, now just a few months from his 10th birthday, was last seen in early 2020. The little boy believed to be living with his father, Dustin Manis, but a chance run in between two relatives reveals Manis has told several conflicting stories about Hayden’s whereabouts. Law enforcement now trying to recover from a years-long delay following the death of the main person of interest, Dad Dustin Manis.

Early September 2024, more than a year after Dustin’s last text to a family member, two of Hayden’s great-grandmothers run into each other at the grocery store and get to talking about Dustin and his son. One says Dustin told her DCS gave Dustin’s mom full custody in 2022..but the other had heard nothing about that. After some discussion, the extremely concerned family reaches out to both DCS and police, asking for a welfare check for Hayden.

Nearly 5 years after he’s last seen, now 9-year-old Hayden Manis is reported missing. While family last saw Hayden on Christmas Eve 2019, investigators say they have a verified sighting by someone other than his father on January 11, 2020.

Delaware County Sheriffs are desperate to locate Hayden Manis and are asking the public for help. Hayden has brown hair and blue eyes. The then 4-year-old was 3’4” and weighed roughly 50 pounds at the time of his disappearance, but would now be almost 10, his birthday coming up in May. If you have any information on Hayden Manis, missing from Muncie, Indiana please call the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office at (765) 747-7885.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

Eric Hoffman - Prosecuting Attorney, 46th Judicial Circuit of Indiana, Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, www.co.delaware.in.us/department/?fDD=16-0, Facebook: www.facebook.com/Delacopros, Twitter: @ProsecutorDelCo,
Ben Powers - Criminal Defense Attorney, Facebook: Legal Powers PLLC, https://legalpowers.com
Brian Fitzgibbons - Director of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security, Leads a team of investigators specializing in locating missing persons, website: www.uspasecurity.com, Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security
Dr. Cheryl Arutt - Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist specializing in Trauma Recovery, PTSD and EMDR, askdrcheryl.com, CreativeEMDR.com , IG: @askdrcheryl
Douglas Walker - Crime and Justice Reporter from The Star Press, website: thestarpress.com; Twitter: @DouglasWalkerSP

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BOY, 4, VANISHES 5 YEARS AGO WITHOUT FAMILY REALIZING: WHERE'S HAYDEN