Parents of 4-year-old autistic boy used drugs the day he disappeared

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
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Date: Feb 09 2024 9:48 AM

HENRY COUNTY — The parents of a 4-year-old autistic boy are facing drug charges after state agents said the two exposed their son to illegal narcotics before going missing.

On Wednesday, 25-year-old Shyanne Nicole Ray and 39-year-old Joshua Thad Wilkerson were arrested after investigators claimed they used meth and marijuana at their home on January 12, the day Phenix Wilkerson went missing. They are charged with two counts of chemical endangerment of a child each.

A complaint claims Wilkerson was directly exposed to the drugs and possibly inhaled or ingested them

Phenix was found safe two days later in Clayton, within Barbour County, and transported to Southeast Health in Dothan for treatment.

During his time without shoes in the Barbour County woods, temperatures dropped below 20 degrees.

After Phenix’s release from the hospital, he was not returned to the custody of Ray and Wilkerson.

Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship confirmed Ray and Wilkerson are Phenix’s biological parents.

Ray and Wilkerson were booked into the Henry County Jail on a $5,000 bond each.

The investigation is still ongoing.

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