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Active Missing Child Case — 43 Years Open

The Kidnapping of Jayson Pearce

● Still Missing Parental Abduction Phoenix, Arizona Missing Since 1983
Missing Child
Jayson Nathaniel Pearce
Age at Abduction
~1 year old
Date Missing
April 18, 1983
Last Seen
Phoenix, Arizona
NCMEC Case
744058 — Active
Abductor
John David Grooms (stepfather)
Conviction
Aggravated Custodial Interference — 8 Months Served
Current Age
44 (as of 2026)
Missing Child

Jayson Nathaniel Pearce

Jayson Nathaniel Pearce
Jayson Nathaniel Pearce — Age ~1, 1983
Date MissingApril 18, 1983
Age at AbductionApproximately 1 year old
Hair / EyesSandy brown / Green
Height / Weight (1983)4'2" / 50 lbs (at time of FBI listing)
NCMEC Case744058
MotherNapolean Pearce

Jayson Nathaniel Pearce was approximately one year old when he was taken from his home in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 18, 1983. He had sandy brown hair and green eyes. He was taken by his stepfather, John David Grooms, who had met his mother, Napolean Pearce, in January 1983 and married her just three days after they met. The marriage was brief. Family members reported that Grooms was abusive.

In April 1983, Napolean was arrested for drunk driving and briefly jailed. When she was released and returned home, Grooms and Jayson were gone. Grooms had left behind a note telling Napolean she was an unfit mother and that he intended to ensure Jayson did not grow up as he believed she was raising her older son. The note read in part: "Believe me, Jayson is safe and being well cared for."

Grooms wrote additional notes to friends stating that Napolean was a bad mother and that he intended to place Jayson with a Quaker family so he could grow up in what Grooms described as a healthy, normal environment. When Grooms was located in Durango, Colorado in January 1984, Jayson was not with him. Grooms refused to disclose where the child was and never provided this information to investigators at any point.

Jayson Nathaniel Pearce would be 44 years old as of 2026. He has never been found. His case remains classified as Endangered Missing by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Phoenix Police Department. If Jayson is alive, he may have been raised under a different name and may be unaware of his true identity or the circumstances of his early childhood.

01
What We Know

April 1983 — Phoenix, Arizona

Napolean Pearce and John David Grooms met in January 1983 and married within three days. By all family accounts, the marriage was troubled from the beginning. Family members described Grooms as abusive. The couple had a baby together, Jayson Nathaniel Pearce, who was born in 1982 and was approximately one year old in the spring of 1983.

In April 1983, Napolean was arrested for drunk driving and went to jail briefly. During that period, Grooms took Jayson and left. When Napolean returned home, both her husband and her infant son were gone. Grooms had left behind a handwritten note telling Napolean she was an unfit parent. The note referenced Jayson's older brother, stating that the brother was lying "just like" Napolean, and expressed Grooms's determination to prevent Jayson from being raised the same way. The note concluded with the statement: "Believe me, Jayson is safe and being well cared for."

Grooms also wrote notes to friends in the same period stating that he intended to place Jayson with a family that practiced the Quaker religion, so the child could grow up in what he characterized as a healthy, normal environment. He stated that Jayson would be "safe and happy" with his new caregivers. These notes provided the only indication of his intentions toward the child.

Grooms was indicted for felony custodial interference in June 1983. He was located in Durango, Colorado, in January 1984. Jayson was not with him. Grooms refused to disclose the child's whereabouts and would not even confirm that he had taken Jayson. He was convicted of aggravated custodial interference, sentenced to 1.8 years, had the sentence reduced on appeal to 1.5 years, and served eight months before his release. He provided no information about Jayson before, during, or after his incarceration. Jayson Pearce has never been found.

02
Case Timeline

Forty-Three Years Without an Answer

January 1983
Napolean Pearce Marries John David Grooms
Napolean Pearce meets John David Grooms and marries him within three days. Family members later report that Grooms was abusive during the marriage. Napolean and Grooms have a baby together, Jayson Nathaniel Pearce, born approximately 1982.
April 1983
Napolean Arrested — Grooms Takes Jayson
Napolean is arrested for drunk driving and held in jail briefly. During her absence, John David Grooms takes one-year-old Jayson and leaves the family home. He leaves behind a note telling Napolean she is an unfit mother and that Jayson will be raised in a better environment. He also writes notes to friends stating his intention to place Jayson with a Quaker family.
April 18, 1983
Jayson Reported Missing — Phoenix, Arizona
Jayson Nathaniel Pearce is officially reported missing from his home in Phoenix, Arizona. He is approximately one year old. Phoenix Police Department opens a missing child investigation. NCMEC case 744058 is established.
June 1983
Grooms Indicted for Felony Custodial Interference
John David Grooms is indicted on a felony charge of custodial interference in connection with Jayson's disappearance. He has not yet been located.
January 1984
Grooms Located in Durango, Colorado — Without Jayson
John David Grooms is located and arrested in Durango, Colorado. Jayson is not with him. Grooms refuses to disclose where Jayson is and will not admit to having taken him. He claims he gave Jayson to another family but provides no names, location, or any other identifying information.
Summer 1984
Grooms Convicted and Sentenced
John David Grooms is convicted of aggravated custodial interference and sentenced to the maximum available term of 1.8 years in prison. The sentence is later reduced on appeal to 1.5 years. He serves eight months before being released. He never provides any information about Jayson's whereabouts during his incarceration or afterward.
1984 — Present
Case Remains Open — Jayson Still Missing
Jayson Nathaniel Pearce remains listed as an active Endangered Missing child case with NCMEC (Case 744058) and the Phoenix Police Department. Age progression images have been updated periodically, most recently in 2026. Jayson would be 44 years old as of 2026. If alive, he may have been raised under a different name and may not know his true identity. No confirmed sighting or lead has ever located him.
03
The Investigation

A Man Who Knew Where Jayson Was and Said Nothing

The investigation into Jayson Pearce's disappearance was complicated from the outset by the fact that the man who took him was eventually located, convicted, and imprisoned and still said nothing. John David Grooms was found in Durango, Colorado, in January 1984, nine months after Jayson went missing. He was arrested and charged. He declined to cooperate. He would not confirm that he had taken the child. He would not say where Jayson was. When asked directly, he stated only that he had given the child to another family. He named no one.

Investigators pursued the Quaker family angle based on the notes Grooms had left behind and the letters he had written to friends. No family matching that description was ever identified. No confirmed sighting of Jayson with any family, Quaker or otherwise, was ever established. The notes and letters represented the only evidence of Grooms's stated intentions, and those intentions may or may not accurately reflect what actually happened to Jayson after he was taken.

Grooms was convicted of aggravated custodial interference and received the maximum sentence available, which was then reduced on appeal. He served eight months. The charge of custodial interference does not require proof of harm to the child; it requires only proof of unlawful taking. The sentence Grooms received reflected what the law at the time allowed, not the full weight of what he had done: taken a one-year-old child and hidden him so completely that forty-three years of investigation have not produced a single confirmed sighting or lead.

Age progression images for Jayson have been produced and updated periodically by NCMEC, most recently in 2026. The Charley Project updated the case as recently as March 11, 2026. The Phoenix Police Department and NCMEC continue to list the case as active. Jayson, if alive, is now an adult who may have no knowledge of his real name, his family, or the circumstances under which he was taken. The case remains open and any information is requested by Phoenix Police or NCMEC.

04
Convicted Abductor

John David Grooms

No Photo
Available
John David Grooms
Last Known Location: Durango, Colorado (1984) — Current Whereabouts Unknown
Relationship to Jayson: Stepfather; married Napolean Pearce January 1983
Conviction: Aggravated custodial interference — 1984
Sentence: 1.8 years; reduced to 1.5 years on appeal; served 8 months
Cooperation: Refused to disclose Jayson's location at any stage; would not admit to having taken him
Stated Intention: Written notes to friends indicate he planned to place Jayson with a Quaker family; no such family was ever identified

John David Grooms was convicted of aggravated custodial interference and served eight months in prison. He was released without ever having disclosed where Jayson Pearce was or what had happened to him. His current whereabouts are unknown. If Grooms is alive, he would be elderly. If you have any information about John David Grooms or his possible knowledge of Jayson Pearce's location or current identity, please contact the Phoenix Police Department or NCMEC immediately.

Help Find Jayson

What Jayson May Look Like Today

Jayson Pearce was taken before he was old enough to remember his name, his family, or his life before April 1983. If he is alive, he is now 44 years old and may have spent his entire life under a different name, possibly believing he was born into the family that raised him. If you believe you may be Jayson Pearce, or if you have information about a person who may be him, please contact law enforcement. DNA comparison with his biological family can be conducted to confirm identity.

Age progression image of Jayson Pearce
Age progression — Jayson Pearce
Current Age and Description

Jayson would be 44 years old as of 2026

At the time of his disappearance, Jayson had sandy brown hair and green eyes. As an adult, his hair and eye color may have changed. The age progression image produced by NCMEC was most recently updated in 2026 and shows what investigators believe he may look like as a 44-year-old man.

Jayson may not know his real name. He may have grown up believing he was born into the family Grooms placed him with. He may have no knowledge of his biological mother, Napolean Pearce, or of his older brother. If you know someone who was told in childhood that they were adopted or informally placed with a family and who matches this description and age, please contact law enforcement.

Phoenix Police Department
(602) 262-6141
Reference: Jayson Nathaniel Pearce — NCIC M234475541
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
1-800-THE-LOST
1-800-843-5678 — NCMEC Case 744058
NCIC Number
Jayson Nathaniel Pearce — NCIC Case M234475541. His NCMEC listing with age progression can be found at missingkids.org, Case 744058.
DNA Identification
If you believe you may be Jayson Pearce, DNA testing can confirm or rule out a biological connection to his family. Contact Phoenix Police Department or NCMEC to initiate this process. No confrontation or accusation is necessary — identification can be confirmed or ruled out through a simple DNA comparison.
Sources
NCMEC — Jayson Nathaniel Pearce, Case 744058 (missingkids.org) | The Charley Project — Jayson Nathaniel Pearce (last updated March 11, 2026) | International Missing Persons Wiki (Fandom) — Jayson Pearce | For the Lost — Case File of Jayson Pearce (forthelost.org) | 12News Phoenix — Center helping Phoenix family find missing loved one (May 2015) | Phoenix Police Department — NCIC M234475541
Still Missing

Jayson Nathaniel Pearce

Jayson Pearce was one year old. He was too young to remember his mother's face, his brother's name, or the home he was taken from. He was too young to understand what was happening when the man who was supposed to be his stepfather carried him out of his life in Phoenix and disappeared.

The man who took him knew exactly where he was. He wrote it down in his own words: he was giving Jayson to another family. He told friends. He put it in notes. And then, when he was found in Colorado and arrested and convicted and imprisoned, he said nothing. Not one word about where Jayson was, who had him, what his name was, how to find him. He served eight months and walked out and said nothing. That silence has lasted forty-three years.

Somewhere, there is a 44-year-old man who may not know his own name. He may have grown up in a loving home, or he may not have. He may have been told he was adopted, or he may have been told nothing at all. He has a mother named Napolean who has wondered about him for more than four decades. He has a brother. He has a biological family that has never stopped wondering whether he is alive, whether he is well, whether he knows they exist.

If you are Jayson Pearce, you are not forgotten. If you know where he is, please tell someone. His name is Jayson Nathaniel Pearce. He was a baby when he was taken. He deserves to know who he is. His family deserves to know he is alive. He is not forgotten.

Jayson Nathaniel Pearce
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