NEED TO KNOW
- A mom of five from Florida has disappeared for the second time in less than a month, according to her family
- Kayla Bailey was first reported missing on Monday, Aug. 18, and found two days later on Wednesday, Aug. 20
- The Jacksonville woman disappeared for a second time on Sunday, Sept. 7, less than a week after she was released from the hospital
A mother of five has gone missing for the second time in less than a month.
Kayla Bailey, of Jacksonville, Fla., was reported missing for the second time by her grandmother and brother on Sunday, Sept. 7, according to First Coast News.
She was reportedly last seen at her family’s home on Blackthorn Road in the Wesconnett area, and family members told the news station that the mom of five has recently been experiencing severe mental health issues.
“She’s walked away from her whole life,” said Lisa Lucas, Kayla’s mother. “Her business, the kids, the family, just the house. This is not my daughter. She does not need to be out wherever she is again.”
Kayla was reported missing for the first time on Monday, Aug. 18, after she was last seen at her home on Maxville Boulevard in the Maxville area on Aug. 17, according to a previous news release from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. At the time, the sheriff’s office said Kayla was possibly “in danger.”
The 34-year-old mom was found alive “in the woods less than a mile from her home” two days later on Wednesday, Aug. 20, the sheriff’s office said in a second news release.
Kayla was hospitalized following her first disappearance in August after she was found dehydrated in the woods, according to First Coast News. She was released from the hospital on Sept. 4.
The same day Kayla was first found, her husband was arrested for violating a restraining order his wife had previously filed against him, according to First Coast News and Action News Jax. However, police said 40-year-old Joshua Bailey’s arrest was not connected to his wife being reported missing.
Joshua was still in jail on Sunday when Kayla was reported missing for a second time, First Coast News reported.
Scott Lucas, Kayla’s brother, said his sister declined to join him for a trip to the grocery store shortly before she went missing for the second time, according to First Coast News. He recalled leaving her and her grandmother in the living room of one of their homes, only to find her missing when he returned less than an hour later.
A missing persons report reportedly said Kayla “did not make any statements of leaving and did not express any statements to cause harm to herself or others before leaving.”
The report also noted that Kayla “is not diagnosed with any mental illness and can take care of herself,” but said the brother told police that the mom of five recently had been “down and not herself.”
Kayla was not found following a search of the home, nor after police contacted local hospitals, the report said, according to First Coast News. She also did not answer her phone.
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“If we can find her, I think she can come back to life again,” her family said. “There’s still hope. She’s never done anything like this in her whole life.”
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Kayla was last seen wearing a black romper and brown sandals, First Coast News reported. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call 904-630-0500.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
