Manchester High in prayer as search continues for missing student Jayden Smith

Anxious moments have gripped Manchester High School as staff, students, and parents continue to search for 12-year-old Jayden Smith, a first-former who has been missing since Friday.

“Well, little Jayden did not reach home after school yesterday (Friday),” Principal Jasford Gabriel told The Gleaner on Saturday night.

“We learned that somewhere around 7 p.m. or so, because his guardians could not locate him. So you can imagine it's been some very anxious moments for the entire school community since last night. Some persons right through the night were just doing their networking, sending out messages and so on.”

The principal said the school community has also leaned on faith.

“In fact, currently we have over 300 persons online in a prayer session that we arranged just a few hours ago. That's one of the responses that we want to entertain, just trusting God that he will somehow intervene. And we are hoping that little Jaden is safe,” he said.

Police have since activated a High Alert for the 12-year-old, who is from Wales district in Newport, Manchester.

He is of dark complexion, slim build, and about 152 centimetres (5 feet) tall. Reports are that about 6:15 a.m. Friday, Jayden was last seen at home wearing his khaki uniform and brown shoes. He has not been heard from since.

Gabriel explained that Jayden was at school all day Friday, attended evening prayers.

“He was at school for the entire day yesterday and he was seen in Mandeville after we dismissed. So he was at evening prayers and everything and left school with the rest of the students and was seen in Mandeville for a time, as usual.”

He added: From the reports that I'm seeing here, it would have been between four and five, somewhere there. But persons would have assumed that by that time he would have been into his transportation to get home,” Gabriel said, adding that heavy rains that afternoon may have delayed travel.

Jayden usually travelled with designated taxi operators, but “they didn't see him yesterday. He didn't report to them,” Gabriel noted, adding that schoolmates later said they saw him at MegaMart, a wholesale and retail supermarket outlet.

But Gabriel said “nothing that is too conclusive that could help us thoroughly or in any significant way with the investigation.”

“Jaden just started Manchester High School. Jaden is also part of our cadet unit. Brilliant young man with a great future, great potential, more on the quiet side," the principal said.

He added that Friday was a "typical day" for Jayden and that there was "nothing unusual" that triggered any alarm. "That's why it kind of took us by a little surprise. We're not aware of any particular circumstance from a school standpoint that would have been affecting him.”

Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Alligator Pond Police at 876-224-3113, the 119 Police Emergency number, or the nearest police station.

Manchester Southern MP Peter Bunting, in a social media post on Saturday, urged residents to support the search. “Let us act swiftly and responsibly as a community,” he said.

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.