Arrest warrant issued for grandfather of missing boy

Jayden Headley

An arrest warrant has been issued for the grandfather of missing Hamilton boy Jayden Headley as police try to reunite the six-year-old with his father.

Jayden has been missing since August 18, when he was taken from the Hamilton Library.

Police believe he may be with his maternal grandfather, Dick Headley, possibly in the Northland area.

Jayden is at the centre of a custody dispute between his parents and has been in the legal custody of his father since a court order was made on June 22.

The warrant follows the arrest of a woman last week on a charge of kidnapping. She appeared in Hamilton District Court on Saturday and was given bail and interim name suppression.

Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Page said police were keen to speak to Mr Headley and find Jayden.

"We believe he may be in the Northland area, but we are certainly not ruling out the possibility that he may be in another part of the country," Mr Page said.

"We have not spoken to Mr Headley, but we did receive a phone call from someone purporting to be Dick Headley, saying Jayden was in no danger and he was safe. We have had no more communication since then."

Mr Page said despite the assurance, concerns for Jayden's well-being were increasing as time progressed.

"This is not an ideal situation for a child to be in and we would appeal to Mr Headley to put things into perspective and return Jayden to his legal guardian."

Mr Page said police believed Jayden's mother's family knew where Jayden and his grandfather were but were being uncooperative.

He said police took an impartial stand in custody disputes and were bound by legal process.

Demands had been made in relation to Jayden's Family Court matters but police could not expand publicly on them.

Police last week found Mr Headley's Holden Commodore car abandoned on River Rd near Ngaruawahia.

Mr Page said detectives were following some leads in relation to information gleaned from that.

Police were urging the public to keep a look-out for Jayden and his grandfather, particularly around the upper North Island.

It is not known if they are travelling in a vehicle or staying in a house. Anyone with information about Jayden or his grandfather should contact Hamilton police.

- NZPA