Manchester police assign cold case team to probe Jayden Smith disappearance

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Law enforcement in the parish has pledged stepped-up efforts to solve the disappearance of Jayden Smith, a student at Manchester High School.

Deputy Superintendent Odean Dennis, who recently took charge of policing in Manchester, confirmed the commitment Monday while fielding a media question about progress in the matter. The school-age youth vanished last September.

"It has come to my attention and it is of particular importance to me, because it involved a child, our future. We will ensure that we have a set of cold case investigators sit down and have a set of fresh eyes look at that matter with the intention of having it cleared as soon as possible," Dennis said on Monday.

His remarks followed a rally held days earlier at Cecil Charlton Park in Mandeville, where Jayden's family and other supporters carried placards demanding stronger action from authorities.

According to police accounts, the boy was 12 years old when he was last spotted at a fast-food outlet on Friday, September 25, 2025, after leaving classes for the day.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force previously deployed drones, cadaver dogs, and specially trained officers in a wide-scale search, which turned up nothing.