A families’ cry for help to find missing Delaware woman, Jennifer Leyanna

KENT COUNTY, Del. – One Delaware woman has been missing for over a year, and now the family is left with more questions than answers.

“If your child was missing, what would you do, how would you handle this?” says Jennifer Leyanna’s mother.

A daughter, a sister, a mother, and a friend. Jennifer Leyanna made her last known phone call to her mother on October 9, 2020, ending the call with an unusual request. “It didn’t click that there was anything wrong, usually she’ll say take care of Natalie but this time she said mom please take care of my baby girl,” says Jennifer’s mother.

After a month of silence, her mother reached out to the police. Now, 43-year-old Jennifer Leyanna has been missing, for over a year. “It’s pretty scary all the scenarios that run through your mind not knowing anything is really bad,” says Jennifer’s aunt, Dorothy Cahall.

Friends and family members tell 47 ABC, her struggles with addiction have worried them before, but never to this extent. “I know the person she was and her being gone for months and not having any answers or any leads is not acceptable to her family,” says a childhood friend, Angie Bowen.

Her mother says, Jennifer, unfortunately, got caught up in the wrong crowd. However, she doesn’t want her struggles to over-shadow who she was and still is.
She says she was a happy person, loving, caring, always had a smile on her face and she would do anything for anyone. “She’s still a human being she’s my child,” says her mother. She adds, “If a lion’s cub goes missing, they would be out looking for that child, and this is the way I feel.”

Bowen tells us, the lack of knowledge as to what happened to her is what hurts the most. “To watch a mother have to lay her head down every night not knowing where her child is, someone should not go missing one day let alone 434 days.”

Family members say they’re hoping and praying police find answers. “At this time Delaware state police has conducted numerous interviews, canvassed the area, she does remain an active missing person,” says Cpl. Amina Ali, speaking on behalf of the Delaware State Police. She adds, “With any investigation, it’s never the same as another one, everyone is different.”

While every case is different, this one has limited information and the family is now crying out to the public for help. “Imagine if it was your daughter, or your niece, or sister, your mother, and not hearing anything for months, it’s pretty rough,” says Cahall. Her mother adds, “What am I supposed to do? Sit home and twiddle my thumbs until somebody comes and says something?”

Both police and loved ones say any help is needed to solve this case, and the family won’t stop until answers are found. “I reached out to her mother and I told her mother we will find her and we won’t stop until we do,” says Bowen. She adds, “It may be very minor but it may be the piece to the puzzle they need to bring her back home to her family.”

Her family also tells 47 ABC, although it would be a dream to see Jennifer walk through their door with a smiling face, they’ve accepted all potential outcomes of this case and simply want closure and answers.

DSP says, if you know anything in regards to the disappearance of Jennifer Leyanna, to call Detective Ryde at 302-698-8557, any information helps.

You can find the “Find Jennifer Leyanna” Facebook page by clicking here.