Self-Proclaimed “Witch Doctor” Sentenced to Life for Murder of Young Mother Whose Body Was Never Found

A Florida man who described himself as a witch doctor has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Leila Cavett, a young mother who disappeared in 2020. Despite years of investigation, her remains have never been found.

Shannon Ryan, 44, received the sentence on October 23, 2026, after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in September. Cavett was just 21 when she vanished in South Florida after traveling from Georgia with her young son.

The case first drew attention when Cavett’s two-year-old son was found wandering alone near an apartment complex in Miramar. Her white pickup truck was later discovered abandoned in a Walmart parking lot, but investigators were unable to locate her.

Prosecutors built their case largely on surveillance footage and circumstantial evidence. Investigators said Ryan was among the last people seen with Cavett and that video showed him carrying a large garbage bag toward a gas station dumpster. Authorities also cited purchases of trash bags, duct tape and carpet odor eliminator around the time she disappeared.

Ryan denied killing Cavett during the trial and offered an alternative account of what happened. The jury ultimately found him guilty. His defense plans to appeal the conviction.

At sentencing, Cavett’s family pleaded for Ryan to disclose where her body was hidden so they could give her a proper burial. Her brother demanded answers, while her young son, now eight, shared a heartbreaking statement about wishing he could spend time with his mother.

Ryan declined to make a statement before the judge imposed the sentence.

Although the life sentence brings a major development in the case, one painful question remains unanswered for Cavett’s family: where is Leila? Her remains have still not been recovered, leaving loved ones without the chance to lay her to rest.

Source:  DAILYMAIL