Johnathan “John John” Boley, the 4-year-old boy who went missing on New Year’s Eve, was found dead today in a wooded area near his father’s home in Walker County.
Sheriff Nick Smith said there were no immediate signs of foul play, and that it appears the boy wandered off while playing with his brother.
A volunteer doing a grid search discovered John John’s body near a creek in a wooded area about two miles from his father’s home in the Thach community.
The family’s dog was found alive near John John’s body, the sheriff said.
“We’re devastated by this news,” Smith said.
“This is going to be a very hard time for our community,” he said. “It’s going to be a very hard time for the volunteer team that did an outstanding job to find John John.”
“This is not the outcome we wanted to see,” the sheriff said. “We were hopeful for a positive outcome.”
Smith asked everyone to be respectful of the family’s privacy.
At a press conference earlier on Friday, the sheriff appealed to the public for help.
“I need your help,” Smith said. “I need your help to bring John John home. My concern is finding and bringing home John John.”
Johnathan Boley
Johnathan Boley, 5, disappeared from his father’s Walker County home on Dec. 31, 2025.(Contributed)
He was last seen about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 7000 block of Highway 195 in Jasper. His brother told authorities he last saw John John near the woods line going under a fence and went to tell his father.
The child was last known to be wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants, and Paw Patrol shoes. He was with his family’s Labrador Retriever mix, Buck.
“He loves the outdoors,” Smith said of John John. “Him and his brother were very adventurous.”
“I guess the best way to describe them is as boys being boys,” the sheriff said. “They’re just all boy.”
Smith said Isaac told investigators he and John John were out playing when he disappeared.
Smith said law enforcement received the call shortly before 12:30 p.m. and arrived at the home by 1 p.m. As they cleared the house to make sure John John wasn’t inside, they discovered explosives and had to back out for safety reasons.
“The search of the house was suspended due to the explosives in the house,” Smith said. “The FBI is handling that aspect. Their bomb squad is making it safe and secure so we can continue the search of the house.”
The boy’s father, Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, was arrested on charges unrelated to the disappearance.
He was initially charged Thursday with unlawful manufacturing of a destructive device or bacteriological or biological weapon.
Court records made public Friday show Boley is also charged with two counts of chemical endangerment of a child.
Charging documents state the missing child, Johnathan “John John” Boley, and his 6-year-old brother, Isaac, “had the opportunity” to be exposed to methamphetamine.
Boley appeared in court Friday morning.
Volunteer searchers gathered Thursday morning at Cornerstone Assembly of God. Walker County EMA officials were also on site.
The volunteer search was later suspended after explosives were found in the woods surrounding the home. Smith said at least eight other devices were found, but he wasn’t sure if they were charged pending examination by FBI explosives experts.
“Neighbors said they’ve been hearing explosions for weeks now,” the sheriff said. “They didn’t really know where it was coming from.”
“The morning before the report came in, one of the neighbors reported they heard an explosion about 4 a.m.,” Smith said Thursday. “I can’t say that’s any kind of connection to the missing child.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies are on the scene include the FBI, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and it’s State Bureau of Investigation as well as police officers from Sumiton, Jasper and Adamsville.
Investigators searched roughly 500 acres on Thursday alone. There were 161 volunteers and 126 law enforcement officers.
More than 100 volunteers returned on Friday.
Johnathan Boley
Johnathan Boley, 5, disappeared from his father’s Walker County home on Dec. 31, 2025.(Contributed)
John John’s mother, Angel Boley, moved to Florida about a year ago and is the guest services director at DaySpring Camp and Conference Center, which is an Episcopal retreat facilty. She previously worked at Camp McDowell in Alabama.
She has since traveled back to Alabama following her son’s disappearance.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 205-384-7218.
