UPDATE: On Wednesday, January 18, 2023, the Accomack County Sheriff’s announced that the body of 18-year-old Jay’von Malik Bailey has been found.
According to NBC affiliate WAVY-TV, remains were discovered on January 9 “by a hunter in a wooded area in the 37000 block of Bells Neck Road, a secluded area on the seaside east of Exmore,” Virginia. The remains have since been confirmed by the Norfolk Medical Examiner’s Office to be Jay’von’s.
No other additional information has yet been released.
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“He’s a kind-hearted person,” Naomi Campbell told Dateline. “He’s fun to be around.”
Naomi’s son, 18-year-old Jay’von Malik Bailey has been missing since April 14, 2022.
“No one has heard from him,” Naomi said.
Naomi told Dateline that Jay’von grew up in Temperanceville, Virginia. “It’s the country -- pretty much a lot of trees and more fields,” Naomi said. She told Dateline that Jay’von is one of four siblings. “He has an older brother, an older sister, and one younger brother.”
Naomi told Dateline that Jay’von lived with her in Temperanceville. “He was living with me, but at the time he disappeared he was visiting his father,” Naomi said. Jay’von’s parents are no longer together.
Naomi said Jay’von’s father lives in Painter, Virginia, about 30 minutes away from Temperanceville. According to Naomi, on Monday, April 11, Jayvon went to go visit him. “I last spoke to him on the evening of the 13th.”
Naomi told Dateline she was texting her son on April 13 around 10:32 p.m. “I was working, and I asked him what he was doing,” Naomi recalled. “He said he was ‘chilling’ so I asked him if he was OK and he said yes.”
Naomi said that after she got off of work the next morning around 2 a.m., she began to suspect something might be wrong with her son. “When I got off of work I was calling and texting him and I wasn’t getting a response,” she said, noting that they usually interacted when she got off work. She also said calls to Jay’von’s phone were going straight to voicemail. “He would usually answer,” Naomi said.
Naomi said she continued to call and text Jay’von the rest of the day and got no response. Then, she got a particularly alarming text from the mother of Jay’von’s 1-year-old daughter. “They would communicate a lot,” Naomi said, but she was having trouble getting in touch with Jay’von as well. “Red flags had already went up, but that made it go up even more.”
Naomi told Dateline she then contacted Jay’von’s father. “I was told he was at his cousin’s house from his dad – that his older cousin picked him up,” Naomi said. “His dad said that he didn’t come back home.”
“So I got the number for the cousin and the cousin told me that Jay’von had left his house,” Naomi said. “He don’t know who he left with or where he went.”
Naomi said she immediately started searching for her son. “I went on the cousin’s road and I found Jay’von’s jacket on the side—on the side of the road,” Naomi told Dateline. She said Jay’von’s cousin’s house was also in Painter. “So then I reported that to the county sheriff’s office.”
Dateline spoke with Lieutenant Joshua Martin of the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office. He confirmed that Jay’von was last seen in the “Painter area of Accomack County” and was reported missing by his mother on April 15. Lieutenant Martin told Dateline that “multiple locations” have been searched since April. He added that on November 19, law enforcement and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management searched a “large wooded area” in North Hampton, Virginia but came up with nothing. He did not say what led them to search that area.
When asked if foul play is suspected, Lt. Martin told Dateline that “all avenues of investigation are open.”
“He did have a strong Facebook or social media presence, which he no longer has had since that date,” Lt. Martin said. “We are investigating it as the worst outcome.”
Sadly, so is Naomi. She told Dateline it is extremely unlike her son to just disappear. In fact, she said it’s “not like him at all.”
Naomi said she has been continuously questioning people about her son’s disappearance and has heard “so many stories.” Despite not knowing which -- if any -- story to believe, Naomi said she does think one thing for sure: She believes that something bad has happened to her son.
“I always hear from him several times a day. He never lets his phone die,” Naomi said. But seven months later, she still hasn’t heard from Jay’von.
She told Dateline she won’t stop searching for answers. “I had a billboard put up --- fliers out,” Naomi said. “We’re just asking that if anybody has information to contact Accomack County Sheriff’s Office.”
Jay’von is 5’6”, weighs 145 lbs., and has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans, and black Croc shoes.
Anyone with information about Jay’von’s disappearance is asked to contact the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office at 757-787-1131.