Mother charged in missing KY boy’s death confessed to burying body
The Kentucky mother charged in the death of her 10-year-old son admitted to police she gave the boy sleeping medication and buried him in a wooded area of Breathitt County.
The mother, 33-year-old Felicia Gross, said she thought the boy had died from a medical emergency. She also admitted to “coaching” two of the boy’s siblings before they were interviewed by police, according to court documents.
Gross admitted Tuesday to burying her son, Jayden Spicer, and police found his body later that day in a heavily wooded area near Canoe Road. Gross was charged with second-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident and two counts of witness tampering.
The discovery ended a nearly weeklong search for the boy after Gross and her husband, Josh Gross, reported Jayden missing from his home on Panbowl Branch Road in Jackson early Aug. 6. Officials used several resources, including aircraft, drones, dogs, sonar and thermal imaging, and spent days searching for the missing boy, broadening their search at one point because they had “thoroughly searched all areas of priority.”
Josh Gross has not been charged.
Jayden’s body will be taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said during a news conference Tuesday night.
Felicia Gross is being held in the Kentucky River Regional Jail. Gayheart declined to provide further details during the news conference, saying it is “an active and ongoing criminal investigation.”
Court records indicate Felicia Gross was involved in Child Protective Services in the past. A woman named Felicia Spicer, who is the same age, has a conviction for a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a minor that dates back to 2015, Breathitt District Court records show.
Online court records do not provide information regarding the circumstances.
The conditions of her release in that case included submitting to random drug tests and following case plans set forth by Child Protective Services, records indicate.
Several court cases indicate that as far back as 2013, another woman, Shirley F. Johnson had petitioned for child support from Spicer, though it is unclear whether Jayden was one of the children for whom she sought support. The most recent of the child support cases involving Spicer and Johnson was closed in 2020.
Johnson, 73, died in May, according to an obituary. She lived in the Canoe community.
A candlelight vigil for Spicer will be held at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Douthitt Park in Jackson. The Breathitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center will provide the candles.
Jayden’s obituary described him as a bright and energetic student preparing to enter the fourth grade.
He enjoyed playing Fortnite and Roblox, was a big fan of Spider-Man and loved playing outdoors.
“Jayden’s playful laughter, kind heart, and adventurous nature will remain in the hearts of all who knew him,” the obituary reads. “Though his time here was far too short, the love he shared will last forever.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 10:30 AM.
