Male 'Witch' Tied To Disappearance Of Missing Mom

MIRAMAR, FL — A man described on his Facebook page as a "witch, tarot instructor" and "master of the occult arts" has been tied to the disappearance of a 21-year-old missing mother the day after she arrived in South Florida.

Shannon Demar Ryan made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court Monday after being taken into custody by the FBI over the weekend and charged with kidnapping.

Ryan posted a 51-minute video on his Facebook page on Aug. 9 titled "Who is Leila Cavett and what is my connection to her disappearance? Let’s talk about it!!!" He said in the video he previously served 15 years in prison but has been out for six years.

"I did some burglary when I was younger. Well, I sold drugs when I was younger. Ooh, I went to prison too. That was the dirt that I grew up out of, that made me the god that I am today," Ryan said in the video. "I'm a black man, and I'm a criminal, and I was the last one to see the girl so automatically I got something to do with it? Thank you America.."

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Missing Mom's Disappearance Called 'Very, Very Mysterious' By FBI

Court documents said investigators tracked Cavett's white Chevrolet 3500 pickup truck to a Hollywood, Florida Walmart parking lot at the intersection of State Road 7 and Hollywood Boulevard on July 27 using data from a license plate reader.

"Law enforcement set up a surveillance, and on July 28, 2020, Ryan approached [Leila Cavett's] truck with the keys in his hand," court documents said. "Ryan was subsequently interviewed and stated that he had known [Leila Cavett] since approximately January 2019, and among other things, [Leila Cavett] was coming to Florida to sell him her truck."

Ryan claimed in the Facebook video the mother and her child stayed with him for about two months in Muscle Shoals, Alabama when they needed a place to stay.

He said Cavett drove to Florida to sell him her truck for $3,500 and he also offered to give her a job. He said he gave her $3,000 for the truck and promised to give her the other $500 when she helped clean the truck, but she never did.

"She knew me and I had taken care of her and her son for a number of months," Ryan said in the video. "She knew she was going into good hands."

Court documents said Ryan offered to sell a white GMC truck to a friend on July 26 for $1,000. Employees at a RaceTrac gas station also told investigators they remembered seeing Ryan's car parked by the store's dumpster.

"An employee recognized a picture of Ryan and told law enforcement that they had seen Ryan using the RaceTrac dumpster," court documents said. "An additional employee specifically remembered seeing children’s toys and women’s clothing inside the dumpster on or around July 26, 2020."

Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI in Miami described the case as "very, very mysterious" on Thursday when he spoke to reporters more than two weeks after the woman's two-year-old son, Kamdyn, was found wandering alone in a South Florida apartment complex around 8 a.m. on July 26.

"Leila's separation from her son is completely out of character. Her family and others in our community are very concerned about her safety and well-being," Piro said at the time. "Thanks to our community, Kamdyn is safe and being cared for."

Court documents said a vehicle consistent with Ryan's 2004 Gold Lexus ES 330 was spotted outside the apartment complex minutes before the child was discovered. Court documents said Ryan purchased Hefty Strong 39 Gallon Extra Large Trash Drawstring Bags and two boxes of Extra Strength Carpet Odor Eliminator from Walmart a short time later. The documents said Ryan returned to that same Walmart and purchased Advanced Strength Duct Tape.

A federal search warrant was executed on Ryan's Lexus on Saturday that turned up "a half-empty container of all-purpose cleaner with bleach," numerous black trash bags and a white powdery substance under the front passenger seat, according to court documents.

Investigators said they examined the search history of an iPhone that Ryan had been using at the time of Cavett's disappearance.

"A forensic extraction of the iPhone revealed Google searches from July 26, 2020," according to court documents. "Specifically, law enforcement recovered a Google search at 12:01 a.m. for 'What day does commercial garbage pickup for Hollywood, Florida.' Additionally, law enforcement recovered another search at 1:45 a.m. the same day for “Does bleach and alcohol make chloroform.”

Ryan said in his Facebook video that he placed a "hex" on Cavett last year after she took some of his property. "You are going to remain homeless and everywhere that you go people are going to try to take your son," Ryan said in describing the hex.

He said in the video that he had been cooperating with authorities. "We have a missing woman and I gave the police everything that I know.," he insisted.

Court documents said "probable cause exists to believe that, beginning on July 25, 2020 and continuing through July 26, 2020, Shannon Demar Ryan did knowingly and willfully kidnap, seize, confine, abduct, and carry away" Cavett's child with the intent to "collect a ransom, reward, or other benefit and held the victim for that reason."

Cavett's white pickup was found unattended on July 28 in Hollywood, Florida. Her sisters and mother identified the child when they traveled from Alabama to South Florida shortly after Cavett's disappearance.

"Leila’s separation from her son is completely out of character. Her family and others in our community are very concerned about her safety and well-being," Piro told reporters last week. "Thanks to our community, Kamdyn is safe and being cared for."

Cavett has a tattoo with has her son’s name, 'Kamdyn," on her right inner arm and a "Jesus fish” tattooed on her right wrist, according to the FBI.

Court documents said Cavett was still breastfeeding her son.

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Toddler Found Alone In Florida; Mother May Be In Danger

The FBI previously said Cavett spent time in Hollywood, Florida; Miramar, Florida and Fort Lauderdale based on the investigation, which turned up security images from the RaceTrac gas station during the around 3 p.m. on July 25 and again later that night with her child, hours before the child was discovered outside the Edge Apartments in Miramar the following morning.

The FBI released a map last week showing the areas where Cavett's mobile phone was detected around Fort Lauderdale. The map shows she traveled along the Fort Lauderdale coast.

To report a tip, call the FBI Miami at 800-CALL-FBI or click here.