Father arrested on drug, weapons charges as 4-year-old son found dead after New Year's disappearance

U.S.

Father arrested on drug, weapons charges as 4-year-old son found dead after New Year's disappearance

Jameson Kyle Boley charged after massive search effort found his son's body two miles from Alabama home

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten Fox News

Published

January 6, 2026 4:12pm EST

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Mourners gather at Florida church following death of missing 4-year-old

Members of the Church of the Apostles and DaySpring Summer Camp in Parrish, Florida gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil for Johnathan Boley, 4. (WTVT)

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FIRST ON FOX: The father of a 4-year-old Florida boy who was found dead after disappearing during a New Year’s visit to Alabama is now facing multiple felony charges, according to court documents.

Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, of Jasper, Alabama, is charged with felony chemical endangerment of a child and unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, according to Walker County District Court records obtained by Fox News Digital.

Boley’s son, Johnathan Everett Boley, known to family members as "John John," was reported missing Dec. 31 after he wandered away from a rural property along Highway 195 near Jasper, Alabama, while playing outside with his dog, Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said during a news conference.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, volunteers, K-9 teams, drones and aircraft were deployed in a multi-day search covering several square miles of rugged, wooded terrain.

Johnathan Boley smiling in an undate photo, wearing a yellow life vest.

Missing 4-year-old Johnathan Everett Boley was found dead about two miles from his father’s home; his dog was found alive nearby. (FOX 13-WTVT)

MISSING 4-YEAR-OLD FLORIDA BOY FOUND DEAD AFTER MASSIVE 3-DAY SEARCH IN ALABAMA WOODS

Searchers found the child’s body on Jan. 2, roughly two miles from the home. The dog was found alive nearby. Authorities have not released a cause of death and said an autopsy and further investigation are pending.

"This is not the outcome anyone hoped for," Smith said at the time. "Our hearts go out to this family and everyone who worked tirelessly to bring this child home."

Smith said that during the search of the home, authorities discovered explosives, and the FBI was brought in.

"The search of the house was suspended due to the explosives in the house," Smith said. "The FBI is handling that aspect. Their bomb squad is making it safe and secure so we can continue the search of the house."

Authorities have said Johnathan and his siblings normally lived with their mother in Florida and were visiting their father in Alabama for the holidays under a custody arrangement.

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Charges filed during search

Court records show investigators arrested Boley during the search for the missing child. He now faces charges in two separate felony cases. In one case, prosecutors charged Boley with two counts of chemical endangerment of a child, a felony under Alabama law.

According to a criminal complaint, investigators allege that "on or about Dec. 31, 2025", Boley, who is identified in court records as a "responsible person, to-wit: the father," knowingly, recklessly or intentionally caused or permitted two children, including Johnathan, to be exposed to, ingest, inhale or have contact with methamphetamine.

The 4-year-old disappeared on Dec. 31, which is allegedly the same day the children were exposed to methamphetamine inside the home. Court records did not specify the amount of methamphetamine that was found on the property or whether the children tested positive.

MISSING SOUTH CAROLINA TEEN MACKENZIE DALTON FOUND SAFE AFTER MONTHLONG SEARCH LEADS TO ARREST

Jameson Boley in a booking photo from Walker County, Alabama

Jameson Boley, 40, is charged with unlawful manufacturing of a destructive device and two counts of chemical endangerment of a child. (Blount County Jail)

In a separate felony case, Boley is charged with the unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, court filings show.

That complaint alleges Boley possessed precursor substances with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a destructive device or bacteriological weapon.

Investigators said Boley was not authorized by state or federal law to possess such materials. Law enforcement officials have said that the destructive-device charge is not related to the death of his son.

"At this time, there is no evidence indicating foul play in the child’s death, and these charges should not be conflated with the search for Johnathan," Smith said during a news conference.

Judge cites ‘danger to the community,’ sets cash-only bonds

Bond hearing records show a Walker County district judge ordered Boley held on cash-only bonds totaling $400,000, citing public safety concerns.

In the chemical endangerment case, the judge set bond at $100,000 cash. In the destructive-device case, bond was set at $300,000 cash.

Johnathan Boley smiling in an undated photo.

The body of Johnathan Boley was found in a wooded area near his father’s Alabama home on Jan. 2, 2025. (FOX 13-WTVT)

In both bond orders, the judge made handwritten notes, writing that Boley is a "danger to the community," according to records reviewed by Fox News Digital. Boley remains in custody.

Court records show that Boley was appointed a public defender and has formally requested preliminary hearings in both felony cases. A district judge granted those requests, and the hearings are scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Walker County Courthouse Annex, records show.

Fox News Digital has reached out toBoley’s appointed attorney, Sam Bentley, for comment.

Members of the Church of the Apostles and DaySpring Summer Camp in Parrish, Florida gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil for Johnathan Boley. (FOX 13-WTVT)

Former Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead said the cash-only bond amounts appear consistent with the severity of the charges and the court’s findings.

"Setting a high cash bond, particularly after reviewing the defendant’s financial status, often means the court expects the individual to remain in custody," Halstead told Fox News Digital. "I’ve seen this many times in my career, and the amounts here appear reflective of the charges the suspect is facing."

Halstead noted that court records explicitly cite public safety concerns.

"When I reviewed the bond hearing order, it clearly states that the suspect is a ‘danger to the community,’" he said. "That is a standard and appropriate notation in cases involving allegations of this nature."

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Authorities said the investigation into Johnathan's death remains ongoing and that additional information will be released when available. Officials have asked the public to allow the family privacy as they grieve.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Walker County District Attorney’s Office, the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, the Jasper Police Department, and the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office for comment.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital.

You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Father arrested on drug, weapons charges as 4-year-old son found dead after New Year's disappearance