THIS BLOG IS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER – PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR UPDATES
Braylen Noble, an autistic 3 year old, has been missing since Friday, September 4th. At about 12:19pm a call was made to 911 to report him missing (listen here), she reported that she had not seen him in about 30 minutes and she believed he may have fallen out of a third story window.
Toledo Police officers and Toledo fire and rescue crews have searched the apartments, looked inside and underneath cars in the apartment complex’s parking lots, as well as inside all adjacent buildings, including in attics. Crews could be seen carrying ladders in and out of apartment buildings, peeking in car windows, and crouching under parked cars.
They also searched the complex’s swimming pool with a diver. Crews searched Swan Creek for at least a quarter-mile in each direction. The terrain was too rough to put a boat in the water according to Private Sterling Rahe, spokesperson for the Toledo fire and rescue.
On Saturday, Dajnae Cox, Braylen’s mother, was part of the community group conducting the search for Braylen. She had clothing items on hand in case dog owners could use their canines to help in the search.
Braylen’s mother was taken to the downtown Safety Building to be interviewed, Lieutenant Lenhardt for the Toledo Police Department confirmed. She was not in custody.
Dajnae has since deactivated her Facebook but has an active Instagram that features a short video of Braylen from August 3rd.
Braylen’s biological father, Taveon Noble, is currently in jail and has been since before Braylen’s disappearance. He was extradited to Michigan after fleeing two charges of armed robbery, as well as a felony firearm and larceny charge, according to Lucas County court records. His family have been involved in the search.
Before her Facebook was deactivated, Dajnae shared a post along with writing these comments.
The window screen Dajnae mentioned in her comment can be seen in a video posted on 13abc’s facebook page.
Saturday night volunteers say they found two suspicious items in the search for Braylen, one of them being a possible bloody blanket in a cemetery across from Hunters Ridge Apartments. However, Braylen’s mother says the blanket does not belong to Braylen.
A separate group of searchers also found what appeared to be a freshly dug hole in the woods nearby that had a two-by-four board next to it.
According to a witness, a police officer who saw the hole said it had not been there before.
Police stress that neither of these developments can be conclusively linked to the 3-year-old’s disappearance at this time and they are still investigating.
Volunteers continued to show up Sunday morning to aid in the search for Braylen. Police have since asked that they avoid the wooded area behind Braylen’s home as it could be dangerous.
The FBI will also be assisting in a coordinated search Sunday afternoon.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday the FBI announced an award of up to $5,000 for information leading to the successful recovery of Braylen.
Police and neighbors continue to search the community in hopes of finding the 3 year old. Flyers have also been made.
Some sources are reporting that the mother left in a vehicle with the FBI but there have not been any arrests made at this time. She was pictured again Sunday helping in the search for Braylen.
One of our group members was involved in the search Sunday, she has shared some things she noticed during the day.
Around 10:30pm, Dajnae was spotted back at her apartment complex. She declined to comment on camera but stated she was not arrested.
Braylen’s mother told WTOL that the reason she believes Braylen fell from the window is because she was out on the back deck and Braylen’s grandmother was in the living room, she noticed the window screen pulled in in Braylen’s bedroom and couldn’t find him, she then called 911. She does not believe he would be able to make it out the door past his grandmother without her noticing.
On Monday, Sept 7th, volunteers said they are expanding their search to a 3 mile radius. Dajnae is out searching again, as she has been since day one.
Dajnae also did her first on camera interview with NBC24 where she states, “If you want to just drop him off somewhere, please drop him off to the police station, you can drop him off here. Call my phone,” Cox said. “I know he’s crying, I know you can’t get him to stop crying. He’s being picky, he’s not eating and even if he’s scared I won’t be mad. Please just drop him off to me. I just want him home. That’s it.”
Braylen has been reported to be non-verbal but according to family he does cry a lot. They also say he does not like loud noises, responds to the nicknames “fats”. People that know Braylen, know that he responds best to short phrases, such as “come here”.
On Tuesday, search teams combed the wooded area near Swan Creek along Bryne Rd., about 0.2 miles from Braylen’s home, in the desperate search for the toddler.
A large police presence was noticed after a tip was given from a volunteer that they had noticed a half-opened drain that wasn’t opened earlier in the search. However, it does not seem to be significant.
Police also announced Tuesday that they are further investigating the 911 call after hearing what could be the words “I killed him” in the background. At this time there is no confirmation that that is what was said.
Wednesday, September 9th, day 6 of searching a large police and FBI presense was seen at the Hunter’s Ridge Apartment complex. Toledo Fire also has a drone up searching the area.
Also, on Wednesday afternoon, police taped off the pool at the apartments. They said they were searching the pool again as they often revisit places already searched to make sure nothing was missed.
According to reports, the pool was only about half full. It had been searched previously by divers, Friday. Toledo Police, Toledo Fire and Rescue and a pool maintenance man were on scene. The maintenance man was seen sticking a pole with a hook on the end into the pool before police told everyone to back up and taped the pool off.
A coroner and crime scene photographer were also on scene. A tarp was been put up around the pool to block off the view to bystanders.
A body presumed to be Braylen’s was found in the pool. His mother and grandmother left in a police vehicle, neither were handcuffed.
“At this point, it’s turned from a missing person investigation to a death investigation,” Lt. Kellie Lenhardt told 13abc. “And it’s still a very active investigation.”
According to the pool maintenance man the pool was open for the season but had to be closed three months ago because of pump issues. The fence around the pool also has a lock that all residents and employee’s have a key to.
Wednesday evening Police confirmed the body belongs to Braylen. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning and the results are expected to be ready by 1pm.
Thursday, September 10th, the coroner’s office released this statement:
The coroner who performed the tests on Braylen said she did not see anything to account for the death, such as disease or trauma. No cause nor manner of death has been determined.
The office is still waiting to do a toxicology and a microscopic test, which is for sections of the organs.
There is no time frame for those further results, the conclusion of which depends on if there’s anything in his system.
A search warrant of Dajnae’s apartment was made public. Police confiscated multiple phones, a claw hammer and trash bags.
On 28 October, 2021, Braylen’s mother and grandmother were indicted in connection to Braylen’s death.
Dajnae Cox, his mother, has been charged with obstructing justice and endangering children while Bobbie Johnson, his grandmother, is facing a charge of obstructing justice.
A press conference is due to be held Friday, 29 October.