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The search for a missing Lake County toddler takes a strange and shocking twist. The boy's mother was found dead and detectives say she killed herself.
Melinda Duckett Found Dead
Leesburg Police say the body of 21-year-old Melinda Duckett was found Friday in her grandparents' home in The Villages in Lady Lake with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators say Duckett did not leave a suicide note, or any indication of what happened to her son. Police wanted to emphasize that Trenton has not been found, but called this a "major development into the investigation of Trenton."
Her son, Trenton, disappeared from their home in Leesburg nearly two weeks ago.
The Leesburg Police Department says investigators are sifting through potential evidence collected from both Melinda Duckett's apartment and the house where she took her own life.
Joshua Duckett, Trenton Duckett's father said, "It's rough times and our main focus is still Trenton's out there, there's still no word and we still need the public's help and everything.
Joshua Duckett says the news hit him like a ton of bricks.
His estranged wife, Melinda found dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Her death further complicates the search for the couple's two-year old son.
Trenton Duckett disappeared from the Windermere Villa Apartments nearly two weeks ago.
Police say Joshua Duckett passed a polygraph test he took the day after Trenton was reported missing. Melinda Duckett refused to take one.
Joshua Duckett says it is not the time to point fingers. He says both his family and Melinda Duckett's relatives need to work together.
"Obviously everybody loves Trenton and everyone wants him to return safe home, so I think we all need to get together and work as one force instead of two separate forces,? Joshua Duckett said.
Police have not yet said if Melinda Duckett is a suspect in her son's disappearance.
Trenton DuckettPolice and volunteers have searched the area and have handed out thousands of flyers but there have been no clues about what might have happened to the boy.
Police say they are investigating several locations, looking for any evidence that can help create a timeline for the last few days before Trenton Duckett's disappearance.
Sunday will mark two weeks since Trenton Duckett was first reported missing on August 27. Since then a series of events unfolded leading to last night's startling announcement.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on Trenton Duckett's whereabouts to call the Leesburg Police Department.
Neighbors are stunned by Melinda Duckett's suicide. Some people in The Villages of Lady Lake told us they remember Melinda as a smart, friendly young woman.
However, her death leaves even more questions as to what happened to her 2-year-old son Trenton, who remains missing.
Rainbow Boulevard in The Villages of Lady Lake is finally quiet this weekend. The crime scene tape is gone from where Melinda's body was found inside her grandparents' house.
The scene is in stark contract to Friday's swarm of investigators and media.
Long time neighbors like Walt Henning are reminded once again of what happened with headlines in the morning paper.
Henning remembers whenever Melinda came over for one of her frequent visits the family seemed close.
Friends gathered Saturday morning to provide moral support for Melinda's grandparents Bill and Nancy Eubank who told us they were still too distraught to talk on camera.
The family's former pastor says since this loss was close to the grandparents, it will always be a shock to their friends, as Melinda's death creates even more unanswered questions.
Neighbors here hope things will get back to normal as soon as possible. However, life will never truly be the same as long as Trenton is missing.
The grandparents of Melinda Duckett say the grilling that Nancy Grace gave their granddaughter contributed to her decision to commit suicide.
Melinda Duckett's grandfather said it was his gun that Melinda used while she was at their home alone on Friday.
Police have shed little new light on their investigation during a news briefing Saturday afternoon. They refuse to speculate as to whether the media scrutiny led to the apparent suicide.
?I can't speculate on what she has done,? Capt. Ginny Padgett said. ?That's being investigated by the Lady Lake Police Department and the FDLE.?
Meanwhile, police say they are no closer to finding Trenton.
Twenty-one-year-old Melinda Duckett was adopted at 4 months old from South Korea, and attended South Sumter High School. Police say she left no suicide note.
This is just the latest twist in a case that started back on August 27th. That was the night 2-year-old Trenton went missing from his home.
An Amber Alert was issued overnight and by August 28th, a full search was on for the little boy. He was discovered missing at 9 P.M. and speculation was he was possibly taken from his bedroom window. The mother said she was watching a movie with some friends in the next room.
He's described as from 2 and a half to 3 and a half feet tall, 30 to 40 pounds and was last seen in a blue and green striped shirt with blue denim shorts, no shoes.
Within days, hundreds of officers and several blood hounds from 6 local agencies searched the apartment complex to no avail.
As the days came and went, police and the community kept looking for Trenton. Leesburg Police agreed with Trenton's mother and believed someone broke through the child's bedroom window while his mother she was in the next room. She says Trenton isn't the type of child to make any noise.
Trenton and Melinda Melinda Duckett described Trenton saying, "Trenton is one of the easiest babies that I have ever known of. He is very friendly and outgoing which in this situation is bad it scares me and I wish that he wouldn't have been like that. But he wouldn't go up to complete strangers and start playing with them. I just...ya know..."
Investigators say everyone connected to Trenton Duckett is a suspect, however some suspects are a little more obvious than others. For example, a letter was written to Trenton Duckett's mother. It says I will hunt you down and kill both of you someday. The letter, investigators say was written by Trenton Duckett's father.
The note was sent via e-mail July 3rd. Leesburg police didn't comment on the letter, but said that they know about it and that they are looking at all suspects. FBI and police searched every home in the apartment complex and contacted local registered sex offenders.
Still, day after day, no new leads were coming up. One week after Trenton disappeared, Leesburg Police were still working with the story someone abducted the boy, while his mother watched a movie. A $5,000 reward was posted for any information leading to the child being found. Missing Child signs were posted everywhere around the community in hopes of finding Trenton. But, the story had Lake County parents concerned about their own children's safety. Chad Richardson of Lake County said, ""I become more concerned about my kids when these sort of things happen and I keep them close to me and I keep an eye on them."
Then, just this week, child advocate Mark Lunsford wanted to bring media exposure to missing toddler Trenton Duckett, so he came to the area to offer his help. Lunsford's own daughter, 9-year-old Jessica was abducted and killed last year in Citrus County.
And just yesterday, news came out that the boy's mother, Melinda, refused to take a polygraph. However police tell us Trenton's dad has taken a lie detector test and that they're quote " satisfied with the responses."
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