Cortlen Jhase Landyn Moody was a 16-year-old from Leakesville, Mississippi, last seen at his home on Williams Drive on the morning of August 4, 2023. His grandmother reported him missing later that day after finding his room empty. He was last seen wearing a blue basketball shirt and matching shorts and had been diagnosed with autism; authorities issued an Endangered/Missing Child Alert.

Search teams conducted extensive efforts around Leakesville over the following weeks, using drones and grid searches and following multiple leads without a breakthrough. On October 3, 2023, human remains were found in a pond just outside the city limits; personal items recovered nearby included a cap bearing Cortlen’s name. DNA testing was pending, but local officials expressed confidence the remains were his and said the death was believed to be a tragic accident with no foul play suspected.

If anyone knew Cortlen’s routines or has information about where he might have gone on August 4, please come forward.