
In this remastered episode of The Miracle Files, we revisit a case that seems almost impossible to explain—until one phone call, one unexpected witness, and a chain of small moments begins to unravel the truth. Jarrett was seen in broad daylight, but...
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Holly Worthington
This episode is brought to you by bond charge. Visit boncharge.com using promo code Miracle to show your support.
911 Operator
91 1. What is the city and address to your emergency? Yes, I am calling because I work at a group home and with the adults that have autism and one of the boys is missing. You said one of the boys has gone missing?
Emily Jones
Yes. This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.
Holly Worthington
And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a captivating true story, but we're also seeking more light in our lives.
Emily Jones
So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us on this journey.
Holly Worthington
Welcome back to the Miracle Files. We have a remastered episode for you today and we are so excited to share some cool new details, details and updates with you.
Emily Jones
Yeah. And just a little heads up before we jump in, this is one you're going to want to make sure that you listen to all the way to the end because there are some twists that you won't see coming.
Holly Worthington
Yeah. And we will have a lot to talk about afterwards. So we'll see you on the other side.
Emily Jones
Upon first glance, with his blonde hair and scruffy face, Jarrett Lyon looked like a typical 23 year old man. However, looks can be deceiving. Jarrett was far from ordinary. He was a man with non verbal autism and his life was about to take a dark and mysterious turn. Jarrett relied on his daily routine to navigate his world. Every day, he and other adults with developmental disabilities would be picked up by a day program to engage in various activities around the city, such as going to parks, libraries, theaters and other public places. In the evenings, he would return to his group home where he lived with other intellectually disabled adults and care professionals. Upon arriving home, he would follow a set pattern of dropping off his belongings and retreating to his bedroom to immerse himself in his favorite app featuring the Sesame street character Elmo. But one fateful day, everything changed and Jarrett's routine was shattered.
911 Operator
911, what is the city and address to your emergency? Yes, I am calling because I work at a group home and with the adults that have autism and one of the boys is missing. You said one of the boys has gone missing? Yes, he goes to a day program with a different provider and they're saying that they dropped him off at 3:18pm and he never went inside. He never went inside. Is he verbal? He's non verbal.
Emily Jones
It was a scorching hot day on July 20, 2023. Jarrett's parents, Kara and Blair Lyon, were getting ready for a wedding reception when they received a distressing phone call from a staff member at Jarrett's group. Here's Jarrett's mom, Kara.
Blair Lyon
She said something weird is going on over at the house. Jarrett's not there and his day program said they dropped him off. And the staff at the group home are saying he never arrived.
Emily Jones
Questions immediately flooded the Lions minds. Jarrett had never made it home. Where could he be? Had he just wandered off? Panic began to set in as Kara and Blair rushed to the group home. While Jarrett looked like a full grown man with his disabilities, it was as if a three year old were lost somewhere in a large city, alone, at risk and likely afraid.
Blair Lyon
By the time we got there, there was a police officer at the front door taking a statement about Jarrett's appearance and stats. Height, weight, eye color, you know, a general description. Also his routines, if he had a phone. I don't think the police fully grasped the amount of disability our son has. One of the police officers said something like, well, he probably just got a ride with his friends and went to the park or something. Well, first of all, our son doesn't have any friends and secondly, he's non verbal and thirdly, he's not really capable of understanding. Like hitching a ride with someone. He would just maybe open a random stranger's door and get in their car because he's so used to so many different staff taking him places. But he doesn't understand deliberately getting a ride to somewhere with someone and being able to communicate. He wanted to go somewhere.
Emily Jones
Jarrett had spent the day with a young woman, one of the staff members from his day program. We'll call this young woman Lucy to protect her privacy. When asked by the police, Lucy reported that she had dropped Jarrett off around 3:30pm and hadn't seen him since. That meant Jarrett had to be somewhere close by. But where? No one at the group home had seen Jarrett enter it. Clearly something had happened to interrupt Jarrett's normal routine. His belongings were nowhere to be seen, including his backpack and shoes. It was as if Jarrett had just vanished into thin air, leaving his parents and the staff at the group home bewildered and desperate for answers. When the Lions didn't show up at the wedding reception they'd been planning to attend, word spread quickly that some something was wrong. Jarrett's older brother Trayson was already at the reception as it was his brother in law's wedding. But he immediately left to help lead the search. As soon as he received the news,
Blair Lyon
and people would start showing up from the reception to help look or say, you know, we just learned about Jarrett. We're going to pray right now. Or we went off to a room and said a prayer as soon as we found out. And his group home people loaded up their clients in their vans and were out searching with more special needs people in their vans, all searching for Jarrett as much as they could. I mean, everyone in that company showed up, the CEO on down, everyone was out searching.
Emily Jones
Like a domino effect, people began spreading the word of Jarrett's disappearance through social media and neighborhood alerts. The Lions prayed for Jarrett's safe return, while a growing army of volunteers joined the effort to find him. As night fell, hope began to dwindle, and Cara and Blair found themselves consumed by worry. They couldn't bear the thought of their son out there alone, vulnerable to the dangers of the night. They worried he could wander into the street and get hit by a car or fall into the river. Kara found herself driving through dark, empty streets, calling out Jarrett's name, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of him. The police received several false leads. Even a search with the police dog was inconclusive. Around midnight, a woman called into the station and said she'd seen Jarrett on her home security camera. But according to the search perimeter, the camera was located too far away in an entirely wrong area. The video recording also took place too early in the day before Jarrett was dropped off at the group home at 3am Kara continued to drive through the streets of the city. And then she saw someone walking along the road. As she neared the man, her heart sank. It wasn't Jarrett. But as Kara drove past, a thought hit her that struck deep and fast. Her heart.
Blair Lyon
There was a individual, probably with mental illness, who was out on the street. And I thought, do we even see these people who are different? Do we really look at them? Or is it just more comfortable for us not to see them? Not really look at them.
Emily Jones
Throughout the night, Kara and Blair's minds were plagued with excruciating thoughts of what could be happening to their son. Unable to find solace in sleep, they imagined the worst scenarios. What if someone had kidnapped him and was abusing him? What if he was injured? They were certain, no matter the circumstances, he must be feeling terrified and alone. With the break of dawn, the search resumed, centered around Jarrett's last presumed location, the group home where Lucy had said she dropped him off. Hundreds of people from communities near and far gathered at a local church, turning it into a command center and staging area for Their efforts. After going door to door, checking cameras and searching anywhere they could think of, no one could find any trace of Jarrett. And then a breakthrough occurred back at the church. A woman emerged from the crowd holding out her phone with a video on the screen. She introduced herself as Angela and was the same woman who had called the police at midnight. Here is her explanation about what happened.
Angela
When I first got to the pavilion, there was a lot of commotion going on. Everyone was working really hard to get involved information. I kind of stood there for a while because I was like confused at who to talk to and. But then I noticed one lady taking control. So I took it to her and I said, I may have a video. It might be the same person. She was kind of busy talking with other people. So she said, hold on a minute. I'll get back to you, you know. And then she got back to me and I showed them the video. And she looked at it and she just screamed and she said, this is him. This is Jarrett.
Emily Jones
This was Jarrett. Carrot and Blair were thrilled and confused. How could Jarrett have gotten so far away from the group home? And where was he now? As the mystery deepened, the search focused on the west side of town. And hours passed. And then back at the church, the manager of the group home received a call saying someone had found Jarrett. The Lions held their breath as the group home manager explained to them what was happening. Amazingly, Lucy, Jarrett's day program worker, had found Jarrett. The Lions couldn't believe it. Lucy had called her own manager who was driving Jarrett to the staging area right now.
Holly Worthington
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Blair Lyon
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Bretzky
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Emily Jones
Kara's heart filled with hope as she waited for Jarrett to arrive. She and Blair called everyone to gather near the church's pavilion and announced that Jarrett had been found. As an excited buzz spread through the crowd, people gathered around the lions. Kara knew that all of the excitement would be overwhelming for Jarrett. She turned to the crowd and asked them to all be silent for Jarrett's return. She explained that because of his autism, he needed less stimuli. And she had no idea in what condition her son would be returning. The day program manager's car arrived at the staging area and slowly Jarrett emerged from the vehicle. He was dehydrated and sunburned. He was shirtless and shoeless. He only had on his pull up and shorts. His backpack was gone. He was definitely in shock, but he was alive and he was there. And Carrot and Blair immediately began thanking God for his miraculous return. The lions rushed to Jarrett and each of them took him by his arms and walked him to the pavilion. What followed can only be described by Kara as a sacred experience.
Blair Lyon
Everybody as he got out of the car, it was a total hush. It was more quiet than I could have believed that many people could be. It was totally quiet. And I also asked people to document it because I knew I wouldn't be in a state to remember what was happening. And I wanted to remember what it was like to have him back.
Emily Jones
As relief and joy sank in, Carrot and Blair began to ask questions. How had Lucy found Jarrett? The timestamp on the video was before Lucy said she dropped Jarrett off at the group home. How could that be? And why had he been so far away? And wasn't it kind of strange that the very person who. Who said she dropped him off happened to be the one who found him? The police had the same questions. And when Lucy was pressed for answers, a dark truth began to be revealed. Slowly, the realization dawned on Cara and Blair that they and their hundreds of volunteers had Been searching in the wrong area all along due to a terrible lie. In fact, Lucy had never dropped Jarrett off at the group home. It turns out that Lucy lived in the area where Angela had seen Jarrett on the security camera. According to Lucy, she had taken Jarrett to her house for lunch against protocol and had lost him. Lucy gave no explanation as to what had happened to Jarrett while he was missing or how she had suddenly found him. What we do know is that once Angela's video footage came to light, the focus of the investigation shifted to Lucy's neighborhood. It placed significant pressure on Lucy and helped investigators recognize that her story didn't add up. And this all led to Jarrett being found. Kara and Blair were stunned to learn that the caregiver they had trusted with their child's life could be responsible for Jarrett's disappearance. But despite their shock and horror, Kara and Blair were also filled with incredible gratitude. Even while everyone was looking in the wrong area due to Lucy's deception, the lions had been surrounded by people who were supporting them and preying on Jarrett's behalf. And because of that, word had spread clear to the other side of town, where Angela, a total stranger, had captured Jarrah on her camera. Not all angels are in heaven, and Angela was definitely an earthly angel. She had already done her civic duty by calling the police. But when the police wouldn't listen to her the night before, she didn't give up. That next morning, Angela drove across the city to show her video to Jarrett's parents. Angela's own story is a miracle in and of itself. She'd been eating a late lunch at her dining table, which was unusual for her. Her dog only barks at other dogs, but for some reason, it barked when Jarrett walked past. Angela looked out the window and noticed a young man who seemed to have motor skill difficulties. Something didn't feel right, but she couldn't put her finger on it, so she went on with her day. And then that night, Angela set her TV to record a 10 o' clock news story about her neighbor. When she returned from a late dinner with her husband, Angela watched the news story, and the following segment highlighted a description of a missing autistic man. She thought it sounded like the young man she'd seen earlier that day and called the police.
Blair Lyon
Police and fire dispatch. How can we help you?
911 Operator
I was just watching tonight's news, and they were talking about there's an autistic young man that been missing this afternoon. I saw a young man walking down my street, and he looked like he had some cognitive problems. And I Didn't think much about it until I just saw this. And I checked my Xfinity camera and I have him on my camera and I don't know if it's the same young man you're looking for.
Blair Lyon
Okay, and what time would it have been?
911 Operator
2:21 this afternoon. My camera picked it up.
Blair Lyon
Okay, what's your address?
Emily Jones
Unfortunately, the police didn't follow up with her. But the next morning, she got on Facebook and saw a friend mention that Jarrett was missing. This compelled Angela to take her video and drive to the church. So many things led up to the miracle of Jarrett's return.
Angela
As I look back on everything, it was amazing. The small little things, like, I usually don't eat a late lunch. My dog barked, which she usually doesn't when people walk by. I had set my TV to record and also the gal that posted on Facebook that morning. I don't know why I got on Facebook that early in the morning. I would have never known any of this if it had not been small, little miracles that had happened along the way. I think we all need to be more aware of the simple things in life by those small and simple things. Miracles do happen. And I'm happy for that family that their miracle happened for them.
Blair Lyon
I think there were so many pieces of miracles that led up to the biggest miracle of having our son returned to us. The miracle of having so many people come, having so many people pray, so many people care. The caring was such a tender mercy. But I think there's so much bad in the world. And I think so many of us think why bothered. So many people bothered to spend time, effort and prayers and tears and showed up for us in whatever capacity they could. Whether it was prayers or bottled water or walking through through the heat, all the different ways. I felt like over and over again, the prayers of all those people literally made that miracle happen. Like there was no way God could deny the pleading of that many people. It was so miraculous to see.
Emily Jones
Lucy, the day program worker, was eventually charged by the state Attorney General's office and on March 1st of 2024, was convicted and sentenced with a class A misdemeanor for criminal negligence of an endangered adult. She took a plea deal, admitting guilt in her treatment of Jarrett. Cara and Blair are working on forgiving her. To this day, the Lyons don't know what Jarrett endured while he was missing. It is a mystery that they probably won't ever solve. It's clear that he still has PTSD and his family is working to help him heal, which isn't easy when he can't talk about what he went through. Kara and Blair have also embarked on a mission to raise awareness and prevent similar incidents from happening to other autistic individuals. Their Facebook page, Jarrett's Miracle Story, has become a platform to share valuable resources and support for parents of autistic children. The lion family's journey is a testament to the power of community prayer and the unyielding hope that can overcome even the darkest of circumstances.
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Holly Worthington
So much to unpack in this story. And first of all, we don't really know what exactly happened to Jarrett.
Emily Jones
Right.
Holly Worthington
But we do know that if Angela hadn't called, it probably would have been so much worse.
Emily Jones
I know. Like, the thing that really stood out to me is that Jarrett was walking around in broad daylight and Angela was the only one who saw him and reported it. And then you think about the fact that if her friend hadn't been on the news that night, like, how often do you have friends on the news? Like, she wouldn't have gone back.
Holly Worthington
Yeah, right. Yeah. And the friend that was also on Facebook the next morning and just happened
Emily Jones
to post about this, just all these little things just nudging her in the right direction. It's pretty miraculous.
Holly Worthington
And you know what else is really cool is that Kara didn't even know about Angela's side of things until we actually had them both on the podcast. Yeah, it was like a revelation to Kara that, I mean, she already called in a miracle, but that just made it even more incredible.
Emily Jones
Right? I mean, you think about if Angela hadn't seen this video, hadn't made such an effort to turn it in, Lucy may have gotten away with this.
Holly Worthington
I know. It's so scary.
Emily Jones
I mean, it's like the smoking gun. Like, this is evidence that he was right by your house.
Holly Worthington
Yeah.
Emily Jones
And really helped them find Jarrett.
Holly Worthington
While in the timestamp, too. On the video showed that there's no way that she really dropped him off when she did.
Emily Jones
Have been telling the truth. Exactly. And as I was re Editing this episode, I was listening to the 911 calls again, and there was something that I hadn't really noticed last time. Pay attention to this 911 call. This was at the end of the initial 911 call reporting him missing.
Holly Worthington
Okay.
911 Operator
Are there any unusual or suspicious circumstances? I don't know. I mean, the day program is saying that they dropped him off, but there was two people at the house, and they didn't see him. And so for us, it's unusual that he would get dropped off at home and he wouldn't come in sight. Because he comes in sight. The first thing he does, he comes inside for a snack and for his iPad, and he did not do that. So that's suspicious to me.
Blair Lyon
Wow.
Holly Worthington
So the lady at the group home definitely suspected something was going on.
Emily Jones
Well, you can hear it in her voice that she. She's just very hesitant. Like, she doesn't want to accuse anyone. And I think sometimes, like, for people who are very honest people, it's hard to imagine someone could lie about something like this.
Holly Worthington
Yeah. We want to believe the best of others. I know I do. It's hard. You know, sometimes my husband will say, the reason you don't understand the way that person. Person thinks is because you don't think like that. You know?
Emily Jones
Right. Exactly.
Holly Worthington
It's tough. But at the same time, we've got to learn to listen to our gut. You know what I mean? Like, those feelings are usually from God trying to tell us something, and we have to listen to those feelings, so.
Emily Jones
Well, yeah. And you can't help but wonder what happened to him that night.
Holly Worthington
Yeah.
Emily Jones
And maybe if they had looked into Lucy a little sooner, he could have been found that night.
Holly Worthington
I know. And unfortunately, Jarrett can't tell us what happened to him. Himself.
Emily Jones
Himself.
Holly Worthington
Which is really sad. There is still an investigation ongoing with the company that lost him. So maybe someday we'll have answers. I don't know. But in the meantime, we really hope. I know. Lucy was young at the time that this happened. Whatever happened, we hope that she has learned from it and changed.
Emily Jones
Right. And that's part of why we kept her identity anonymous, because there are so many unanswered questions. Like, we just don't know.
911 Operator
Yeah.
Holly Worthington
And we do believe Everyone deserves a second chance. So, yeah, hopefully she's taking advantage of that.
Emily Jones
I hope so.
Holly Worthington
So I have to say, one of the greatest takeaways for me from the story was when Kara said, do we see people who are different than us, people who are on the streets, or
Emily Jones
do we look away?
Holly Worthington
And I just think it's so important that we remember that everyone is one of God's creations. Everyone is someone that God loves.
Emily Jones
Yeah. That's the lesson that I hope that I can teach my children, is to really see the humanity in everyone.
Holly Worthington
I don't think you can have that conversation too much with your kids, honestly. Right.
Emily Jones
Okay.
Holly Worthington
Before we wrap up, I just. I talked to Caroline and I just asked her for an update about Jarrett to see how he's doing. And she said he's now 26 years old. Yeah, he's doing great.
Emily Jones
He.
Holly Worthington
He loves granola bars. He's learning how to use a speech device and communicating a little bit more through that. And she said his smile just lights up the room. And everywhere he goes, he brings joy to everyone around him just by being himself.
Emily Jones
Yeah. You can see it even through the pictures. If you want to see pictures of him, you can follow their Facebook page, Jarrett's miracle story. But you can just see that he exudes happiness and joy and he's just such a wonderful person. Yes. And we are so grateful for them for sharing their story with us. Thank you, everyone else, for joining us today. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast, leave us a review, and share this podcast with a friend or family member who could use a reminder that God is still doing miracles today.
Blair Lyon
He is.
Holly Worthington
Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact us@themerical files.com or find us on social media. Social media. We release new episodes each Monday.
Emily Jones
Yes. So don't forget Miracle Mondays. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well.
Holly Worthington
Join us next time as we discover more of God's miracles. And don't forget to look for his light in your own lives.
Bretzky
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Hosts: Emily Jones & Holly Worthington
In this powerful, faith-filled episode, sisters Emily and Holly revisit the harrowing story of Jarrett Lyon, a young man with nonverbal autism who vanished under mysterious circumstances. Using the intensity of true crime storytelling, the hosts unravel the events, the emotional turmoil faced by Jarrett’s family, and the community’s inspiring response. Remastered with new details and personal reflections, this episode is a moving testament to perseverance, compassion, and what many called a miracle.
Angela’s Role: Angela, a stranger, comes forward with security footage of Jarrett near her home—the first significant lead.
Turning Point: The community rallies around this evidence. The search shifts focus, and finally Jarrett is located—found by “Lucy,” who claimed to have last seen him.
Quote [09:51]:
“She looked at it and she just screamed and she said, ‘This is him. This is Jarrett.’” – Angela
The Homecoming: As Jarrett arrives, the church community falls silent, honoring his need for calm.
“It was totally quiet. And I also asked people to document it because I knew I wouldn’t be in a state to remember what was happening.” – Blair Lyon [14:06]
On Community Effort:
“Everyone in that company showed up—the CEO on down, everyone was out searching.” – Blair Lyon [06:09]
On the Power of Prayer:
“Over and over again, the prayers of all those people literally made that miracle happen.” – Blair Lyon [19:44]
On the Importance of Noticing Others:
“Do we even see these people who are different? Do we really look at them?” – Blair Lyon [08:12]
On Miracles Through Small Actions:
“By those small and simple things, miracles do happen.” – Angela [18:54]
Reflection on Trust and Intuition:
“We’ve got to learn to listen to our gut… those feelings are usually from God trying to tell us something.” – Holly Worthington [25:34]
To hear more miracles and inspiring true stories, subscribe to The Miracle Files on your favorite podcast platform or YouTube.