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NEED TO KNOW
- A vigil was held on Wednesday, Aug. 27, to mark the 19th anniversary of the disappearance of 2-year-old Trenton Duckett
- Trenton, who would now be 21 years old, was reported missing after he disappeared from his home in Leesburg, Fla.
- “I still have hope that one day we’ll get answers,” said his father, Joshua Duckett, at the vigil
It has been nearly two decades since a 2-year-old boy disappeared from his Florida home, but neither his family nor community has forgotten about him.
Trenton Duckett was last seen around 7 p.m. local time on Aug. 27, 2006, according to a bulletin shared by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).
Trenton’s mom, Melinda Duckett, who was 20 years old at the time, reported him missing the same day. She died by suicide a month later.
A vigil was held at City Hall in Leesburg, Fla., on Wednesday, the nineteenth anniversary of the toddler’s disappearance, according to NBC affiliate WESH and CBS affiliate WKMG.
Trenton’s dad, Joshua, was 21 years old when his son disappeared, the same age Trenton would be now. But he has not given up on his hope to find his son.
“It’s always hard every time you hit a birthday, every time you hit an anniversary,” Joshua said, WKMG reported. “Day by day, it’s challenges. But I still have hope that one day we’ll get answers.”
Lieutenant Shannon Walsh with the Leesburg Police Department said authorities are still actively looking for Trenton and are willing to “help support the family.”
“Every time the vigil comes up, I think those emotions are reinvoked within our detective division,” Walsh explained, according to WESH.
Back in 2020, Trenton’s maternal grandmother, Beth Eubank, told PEOPLE that her family members felt the boy was still alive.
“It has been hard,” she said at the time. “But we’re never going to give up looking for Trenton. He’s alive out there somewhere.”
Five years later, family members still have not lost hope in finding Trenton. His dad hopes answers will come soon.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
“There’s information out there somewhere,” Joshua said. “Somebody knows something; it’s getting that information that will piece all the puzzles together and eventually solve it.”
Trenton is both Asian and White, and “has a small mark over his left eye,” according to NamUs. “He was last seen wearing denim shorts and a green and blue striped shirt,” they added.
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An age-progressed photo of Trenton was released in early 2024, according to FOX affiliate WOFL.
Anyone with information about Trenton is asked to contact the Leesburg Police Department at 1-352-787-2121.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
