Mystery swirls around Indiana boy who vanished 5 years ago without family realizing

A huge hunt is on for a 9-year-old Indiana boy — after his family only recently realized he’s actually been missing for more than five years.Hayden Manis’ relatives, including his grandparents and aunts, told WTHR that they assumed the youngster was with his dad, who was awarded custody despite their fierce objections over his alarming history of abusing drugs.But they finally reported him missing late last year — having realized none of them had seen him since Christmas Eve 2019, when he was just 4.They fear he might have been killed by his dad — who died of a drug overdose in November, soon after he was quizzed about his missing son.“I can’t ever remember something quite like this,” Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman told the outlet of the hunt around Muncie, about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis.“It haunts me every day.”When Hayden was still a baby, his parents lost custody of him over drug-related arrests, and he went to live with his grandfather, Gary Manis, whom he called “Paw Paw,” the family told WTHR.Hayden’s father, Dustin Manis, eventually finished his court-ordered probation and drug treatment, and was again given custody of his son — despite his grandfather’s fierce objections.“He’s a drug addict,” Gary Manis said of his troubled son.“I told them, I begged them, not to give him back.

Wasn’t my choice.Wouldn’t even let me speak in court,” the granddad said.

“He did what they required of him and they gave (Hayden) back.”Though visits with extended family continued for a little after Hayden returned to his father’s care, they eventually stopped after Christmas Eve 2019 — and the dad never suggested anything was wrong.“At least every month, I’d message him: ‘Hey we’re doing this or that.Can you come?'” his great aunt Barbara Phillips said.

“We wanted him to know we wanted them there.We wanted to be a part of their lives,” another great aunt, Shellie Sewell, said.

“We’d say, ...