Mom, stepdad who buried 10-year-old in shallow grave, coached boy's siblings on what to say to cops after they reported him missing are indicted: DA

The ma and stepdad of a missing Kentucky kid recovered dormant aft she allegedly overdosed the lad with sleeping medicine person been indicted for his death.

Felicia Gross, 33, is present facing charges of murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with carnal evidence, falsely reporting an incidental to instrumentality enforcement and tampering with a witness, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office for the 39th Judicial Circuit. She has been down bars since past week.

Now her husband, Joshua Gross, stands accused of complicity to murder, complicity to falsely reporting an incidental to instrumentality enforcement, tampering with evidence, maltreatment of a corpse and complicity to tampering with a witness.

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The lawsuit stems from the disappearance of 10-year-old Jayden Spicer, who was recovered dormant successful a shallow sedate connected Tuesday.

"On Tuesday afternoon, they did a occupation that nary 1 should ever person to do, and there's conscionable nary mode we tin ever adequately convey them for that work — but we tin try," Commonwealth Attorney Miranda King wrote. "On Tuesday night, I told you that Jayden was successful bully hands present and we were going to instrumentality attraction of him. Today was the adjacent signifier successful that promise."

Felicia and Joshua Gross are being held astatine the Three Forks Regional Jail connected $1 cardinal bonds.

As Law&Crime previously reported, Jayden was reported missing connected Aug. 6 successful Jackson, a tiny municipality located astir 100 miles southeast of Lexington.

State troopers devoted important resources to the hunt and rescue operation. Less than a week later, instrumentality enforcement uncovered a ruse, according to an apprehension citation obtained by Law&Crime.

Troopers accidental Gross admitted to her relation successful her boy's decease during a Mirandized interrogation astatine the Jackson Police Department headquarters.

"[S]he confessed to providing Jayden a benignant of sleeping medication," the citation reads. "Ms. Gross further stated that this medicine caused Jayden to person a aesculapian exigency and she believed that helium had passed distant from this aesculapian emergency."

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Jayden was past seen live connected Aug. 5 — some parents reported the kid went to slumber that evening but had gone missing by the adjacent morning, and "his whereabouts were unknown," constabulary said.

Details astir the small lad were shared to assistance the hunt – helium was believed to beryllium wearing bluish "Sonic the Hedgehog" pajamas. Jayden was described arsenic 5-foot-1, with a slim build, blonde hairsbreadth and bluish eyes.

"We person a batch of antithetic tools successful spot and we're going to proceed to hunt until our resources are exhausted," Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said arsenic the hunt went connected for days.

During a property league connected Aug. 12, Gayheart said the boy's remains were discovered astatine astir 3 p.m. earlier that aforesaid day  – buried successful a shallow sedate amid a wooded country connected Canoe Road successful Jackson, according to reports by Charleston, West Virginia-based ABC affiliate WCHS and Lexington-based CBS affiliate WKYT.

The mother's alleged confession led to the discovery, astir 19 miles southwest of the family's location connected Panbowl Branch Road.

"Ms. Gross further stated successful the interrogation that she had transported Jayden's assemblage to a wooded country connected Canoe Road adjacent the rima of Joe Little Fork," the apprehension citation continued. "A hunt warrant was prepared and executed connected this spot and Jayden's remains were located buried underground successful a integrative tote."

Troopers besides alleged Gross instructed her different children to prevarication astir their brother's death, arsenic the hunt for the lad continued.

The suspect adjacent penned a handwritten note, pleading for the public's assistance successful uncovering Jayden, according to the authorities police.

"Two of Jayden's siblings were interviewed astatine the Care Cottage successful Hazard respective days anterior to this confession," the citation goes on, referring to a kid advocacy center. "Ms. Gross admitted to 'coaching' the siblings into what to accidental during the interview."

During the search, Jayden's aunts publically questioned the authoritative narrative.

"He's a bully boy. He is precise sweet, loving. He is precise hyperactive. He likes to beryllium connected the spell 24/7," 1 of his aunts told WKYT. "He does not similar insects astatine all, oregon the dark. Up successful the hills, immoderate kid tin spell anywhere, but it seems truthful unreal helium would spell up there."

An autopsy volition beryllium performed connected Jayden's assemblage to find the precise origin of his death.

"While this is not the result that we had hoped for, we surely are grateful that we were capable to bring him retired of the woods today," King said during the property conference, according to Lexington-based ABC and MyNetworkTV affiliate WTVQ. "I would similar to guarantee the nationalist that now, acknowledgment to these guys, Jayden is present successful bully hands, and we're gonna instrumentality attraction of him."

Colin Kalmbacher contributed to this report