An eight-year-old boy disappeared from Biltmore Elementary School on Monday. Once the family found out, they rushed to the school, and according to the police reports, the situation quickly escalated and became uncontrollable.
The whole family was in a panic to locate their young boy. Upon the arrival of the child’s mother, father, sister, and brother at the school, chaos ensued.
The mother, Cierra Aikens, explained that her eight-year-old son, Jacob Griffin, had been attending Biltmore Elementary since his VPK (Voluntary Prekindergarten) days. Jacob is a special needs student and follows a strict schedule.
Every day, his sister, Geniya Session, arrives at the school’s carload zone 30 minutes early to pick him up. However, on this particular Monday, he wasn’t there. The principal informed her that they had no idea where Jacob was.
Geniya Session, Jacob’s sister, recalled, “I was terrified. I couldn’t react. I was shocked and hyperventilating in a hallway.”
This prompted the rest of the family to join the search on the school campus. Aikens believed that someone else might have picked up her child.
“My heart sank, and I felt helpless,” Aikens said, expressing her distress.
She also voiced her confusion about how this could have happened, emphasizing, “If they don’t have a three-digit code associated with the child, that child should not be released to anyone else.”
The father, Andre Griffin, was the first to arrive at the campus. He was visibly distraught, mentioning that Jacob was his only biological child.
As soon as he arrived, he went directly to the principal’s office. Griffin asked Dr. Jones, the school principal, about Jacob’s whereabouts, and he described her reaction as jaw-dropping.
“At that point, I was in shock. I can’t recall what happened next,” Griffin shared.
According to the arrest reports, the police received two calls – one about a missing child and another about a “school alert threat.” The reports indicate that Dr. Jones activated the “assailant alarm” when Griffin entered the campus.
It stated that he “rushed into the school, yelling and cursing at everyone in sight.” He then “entered the office and began knocking everything off the reception counter.” The report continued, “Mr. Griffin took a metal folding chair, using it to strike the office window and door.”
Consequently, the school initiated a lockdown. Both Griffin and Jacob’s brother, Julian Gibbs, were arrested.
Griffin expressed his confusion and frustration, saying, “Why are you handcuffing me when I’m the one who’s lost my son? My son is missing.”
Unfortunately, the lockdown delayed the search for Jacob. About two hours after he was reported missing, the police located him at home.
Jacob told Action News Jax, “I went for a walk.”
However, due to his communication difficulties resulting from his disability, Aikens found this explanation hard to believe.
“This child has never walked home before,” Aikens stated. “When he responds, it’s usually in one or two-word sentences.”
Aikens highlighted that the turmoil began when her son went missing, and she now demands answers.
“We want children to be safeguarded, and adults need to take responsibility for their mistakes. They should practice greater caution when it comes to our children because we entrust our children to them.”
The school district sent a statement to Action News Jax, stating, “We commend the staff for their appropriate response to both incidents. We also commend the school police for locating the child, and the JSO for their intervention at the school.”
Griffin and Gibbs are scheduled for a court hearing on September 19. The family has stated that they are in search of legal representation.
