DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – A Duval County woman who had been missing from her Maxville home since Sunday evening was found alive on Wednesday morning, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced in a news conference.
JSO said Kayla Bailey, 34, was found lying on the ground in a wooded area just off a trail within three-quarters of a mile of her home.
Bailey, a mother of five children, was transported to a local hospital and is in stable condition, according to officials.
“Teams of police and fire called in on the radio and announced that our victim was recovered alive and well, which is great news to us,” Sgt. Michael Monts said.
Press play below to watch the full JSO news conference
Monts, who is with JSO’s missing persons unit, said around 50 officers and firefighters were deployed into the field and built a search engine map via their MEPSAR (Missing Endangered Person Search and Rescue) system, which helps send teams to high probability areas to search.
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About three hours into the search, they received a call that Bailey had been found, Monts said.
She had been without food, water or shelter for more than two days.
Officials added that once Bailey is stabilized at the hospital, they will do a more in-depth interview to find out exactly what happened.
“We believe she was there on her own accord,” Monts said. “But again, that’s part of the ongoing investigation.”
News4JAX spoke with Kayla Bailey’s mother, Lisa Lucas, hours before her daughter was found.
“She was in a very dark place,” Lucas said.
Monts said that the investigation will continue “to check on the welfare of everyone involved, the children, the father, the mother, and everyone that is involved in it.”
On Tuesday, JSO said it believed Bailey may be in danger and asked for the community’s help to determine if she was safe.
Bailey’s husband, Joshua Elias Bailey, was arrested on Tuesday evening on charges of violating a domestic violence injunction and violating probation on a felony offense. He was not charged in connection with Kayla Bailey’s disappearance.
JSO said on Wednesday that there are no persons of interest related to this case and no safety concerns to the community.
It wasn’t just police and fire helping in this search; there were also people from across the state. A group called Essentials from the Missing came from Tampa.
“God is good, and I want to thank everyone in Jacksonville, from Texas. I don’t even know how many people have reached out to us in some way, and I know it’s between media, social media and y’all. And I knew they would bring her home. She felt that love,” Lucas said.