JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville mother is asking for the public’s help as she continues to search for her missing 13-year-old daughter, who has been gone for months.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has classified Xaiyah Thomas’ case as a runaway, but her family believes the situation is far more serious.
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Xaiyah Thomas, 13, was last seen in January. According to her mother, Kryshonda Thomas, there was some contact with her daughter early on through social media, offering reassurance that she was safe. That communication abruptly stopped in early March after they received a troubling message on social media, indicating that she couldn’t return home.
“She said, ‘These men won’t let me come home,’” Thomas said. “We called, texted. We did everything, but she was doing all this via Facebook. She doesn’t have a phone, so there was nothing we could track.”
Since her daughter’s disappearance, Thomas said she has searched continuously across North Florida, checking neighborhoods, stores and hotels while also caring for her other children.
“It’s been hard, it’s been rough,” she said. “I haven’t been able to work. I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t been able to sleep. That’s my baby.”
There has been no contact since that message, Thomas said, including during significant family moments such as her birthday in March.
“My kids don’t miss my birthday,” she said. “She would have said something.”
Despite the uncertainty, Thomas said she continues to rely on faith and support from the community.
“I have people I’ve never met reaching out to pray with me every day,” she said. “That’s what’s keeping me going.”
She remains hopeful her daughter will return home safely.
“Come home,” she said. “We’re going to be OK. It’s hard for me right now without you. Just come home.”
The family is offering a $4,000 reward for information leading to Xaiyah Thomas’ safe return. Anyone with information is urged to contact local authorities.