When a Florida toddler disappears from his bed and into the summer night, the investigation

that follows is as controversial as it is urgent.

An open window, a media firestorm, and a series of tragedies complicate the search for

a missing child in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Music Thanks for listening to Last Seen Alive.

I'm your host, Leah, crime analyst by day and true crime storyteller by night. I'm your co-ist, Scott. Apologies if I sound a little different than usual today.

I'm trying to get over a case of COVID and my voice is a little rough. But I've been mainlining

as much herbal tea with honey as humanly possible

in preparation for this recording session, so I think this is as good as it's going to get for a while,

and I didn't want to delay or skip this episode. Speaking of being sick, while scrolling from

bed one day, I stumbled across a news article that, frankly, I hoped was part of some bizarre fever dream.

I decided to tuck it away and reread it again later, and sadly, I've now done so and have to

admit to myself, and all of you, that the news was in no way a product of my imagination.

So here goes with the most soul-crushing past case update ever.

Remember a few months ago when we did an update on the Brittany Williams case and covered how a woman had come forward with DNA test results claiming to be that missing little girl?

I do.

So I was overjoyed to hear that.

And I know you were too, Scott.

I was so excited that against all odds,

it seemed that Brittany was still alive. It remains one of my happiest moments in podcasting.

It was one of your happiest moments in podcasting because the FBI and Henrico Police worked

together to perform their own DNA analysis at an FBI lab and also

...