Father of child found in Miramar trying to claim custody; mother last seen in Hollywood
The last time Daniel Lee West saw his son, Kamdyn, they were playing in his mother’s yard near the historical center of a small town about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta in Georgia.
Now, he may have to take a DNA test to be reunited with the 2-year-old, who was found wandering barefoot in a diaper and a black T-shirt more than 700 miles away in Miramar Sunday.
The search for his 21-year-old mother, Leila Cavett, continues for the third day in Hollywood.
Hollywood police took over the case from Miramar police Wednesday, after they received reports that Cavett was possibly seen near the area of Hollywood Boulevard and US Route 441, a highway that extends from Miami, through the states of Georgia and North Carolina, to Tennessee.
Miramar police also found her car, a mid-to-late ‘90s white Chevy Silverado 3500, in Hollywood, according to a press release.
“I just want Leila and Kamdyn safe,” said West, 35. “Leila is a great mom. [She] would do anything for our son.”
West contacted Miramar police earlier this week to claim custody of the child, but police told him he may have to provide proof that he is the father, he said.
“CPS [the Florida Department of Children and Families] is supposed to tell me what to do. I am coming there as soon as they do,” West said.
Cavett’s sisters, who traveled from Jasper, Ala., Tuesday morning to speak with police, were also unsuccessful in claiming custody and may return to Alabama soon, Cavett’s sister, Gina Lewis, said Wednesday.
West met Cavett, who is originally from Jasper, in Dawsonville, Ga., two years ago, he said.
Cavett was then in a relationship with Levi Arnold, a car aficionado who says he is from Woodstock, Ga., on his Facebook profile.
“We were never together; it was just a hookup,” said West, who now lives in Ellijay, a town 30 miles northwest of Dawsonville. “Our relationship was about Kamdyn only.”
Lewis confirmed that West is Kamdyn’s biological father and said Arnold stepped up as a father figure when the little boy was born. Arnold split up with Cavett shortly afterwards and now lives in Townley, Ala., according to his profile.
West stayed in touch with Cavett and their son Kamdyn after they moved to Alabama in 2019, and then back to Georgia earlier this year. He saw Kamdyn and sent payments to his mother every two or three weeks, he said.
He sent his last payment to Cavett Thursday around lunchtime.
Cavett was staying with her aunt Robin Jenkins in Dawsonville, until the two had a disagreement and Cavett moved to a friend’s house, according to West.
The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Cavett was in Dawsonville in February, when a family member filed a report claiming that Cavett had been using crack cocaine at a residential home.
Cavett had been arrested the year before on charges of drug use, according to Alabama court records. It was not clear whether the case was settled, the Herald reported.
West said he was not aware of Cavett’s criminal record. However, Cavett’s sisters fear that she may have gotten into trouble.
“I am definitely thinking she is danger, just from how Kamdyn was found,” Lewis told the Herald Wednesday shortly after reposting baby pictures of her sister’s son on Facebook with the caption, “We will find your mommy soon.”
Lewis and other family members told reporters that they last heard from Cavett on July 17 in a FaceTime call and she didn’t say anything about going to Florida.
Lewis and West said that going to another state without telling any family members was out of character for Cavett.
Josh Freeland, who knows Cavett from her time in Georgia, said “the whole thing doesn’t make sense.”
“She’s a mother. A great one at that. She has a love for people i can’t explain... [and] she’s one of few people I will care for for the rest of my life,” Freeland told the Herald Wednesday. “I just want her home back where she belongs. Kam doesn’t deserve this. That baby is two years old and has been with her ever since he was born.”
Freeland extended his support to the family.
“It is the most frustrating, heartbreaking thing I have ever had to go through,” Lewis said Wednesday.
“Coming down here and not knowing anybody was obviously very scary… but I want to say thank you to everyone who shared and brought awareness to the situation. The community has been amazing.”
If you have any information about this case, contact the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 or 954-967-4411.
Miami Herald reporter Carli Teproff contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this report misstated the police agency that found Leila Cavett’s truck. Miramar officers found the truck in Hollywood.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 7:08 PM.
