This Kentucky Mother Of Three Disappeared In 2022, But She Wasn’t Reported Missing Until Nearly Six Months Later, And Her Friends Are Leading The Charge For Answers
Kayla M. Decker is a mom to three young boys, and in 2022, the 35-year-old was living in Bee Spring, Kentucky.
She was known as a very outgoing woman who formed friendships easily. In fact, despite not having a close relationship with her family and battling Lupus, an autoimmune disease, she had a large, solid group of friends – including Avelina Tapia.
“Everywhere we were together, until we eventually got married, started having kids, military life started separating us,” recalled Avelina, who’d been friends with Kayla since they were both 18-years-old.
“I swear every time we would have the opportunity to see each other, it was as if time never passed. We felt like 18-year-olds.”
So, none of her friends expected what occurred on December 18, 2022, when Kayla mysteriously disappeared.
That day, she first attended a little league game that took place at 225 East 3rd Avenue in Bowling Green, Kentucky. At first, investigators believed this was where Kayla had last been seen.
But then, authorities ascertained that the last sighting of Kayla was actually at a local church.
“We started in one place, and we started working, and then we eventually were able to confirm that she was seen after the game,” said Detective Michael Waggener of the Kentucky State Police Department.
Additionally, investigators determined that the last activity on Kayla’s phone occurred at her home on Old Bee Spring Road on December 18.
Facebook – pictured above is Kayla
But, there have been multiple limitations in the investigation of her disappearance. First, Detective Waggener reported that she lived a “transient” lifestyle, meaning she did not remain in one place for a long time. This made it difficult for detectives to track down her whereabouts.
Additionally, Kayla wasn’t actually reported missing to Kentucky State Police until almost six months after she disappeared – on June 14, 2023 – by a social worker.
According to Detective Waggener, investigators “believe her husband, Dearl Decker, was the last person to see her.”
The reason why Kayla had a social worker was that Dearl had an ongoing criminal case against him for domestic violence. This resulted in Kayla and Dearl’s three kids being put into foster care.
Kayla disappeared without her cane or medication – leaving them at home. Since she went missing, investigators have also conducted multiple searches with minimal findings. They found no activity on her bank account, phone records, or social media as well.
“She’s been missing since December. It’s now September. No social media activity, no phone activity. We’re looking at the possibility that somebody has done something to her,” Detective Waggener said in September 2023.
“We’re still trying to track down some of her movements in those last few days before she went missing. We’re still trying to monitor social media accounts, cell phones, stuff like that, and interview really anybody that could have been around her in the days leading up to when she was last seen.”
Still, the exact circumstances surrounding Kayla’s disappearance remain unclear. So, her friends have taken to social media and created a Facebook group entitled Find Kayla Decker. Their goal is to spread awareness of her case and encourage anyone with information to come forward.
“She’s just about family, making connections, making friendships wherever she goes. I believe that really does show now more than anything, because I feel like it’s more friends that are looking for her and trying to pursue this search for answers,” Avelina said.
“We just want to bring awareness, so that way hopefully, somebody somewhere gets enough word of it so that way they feel it in their heart to speak out. All it takes is one person to make a big impact.”
Kayla’s friends have also continued holding on to hope for her three young sons.
“She still has three boys that depend on her. They need to know that their mom did not abandon them, that their mom loves them,” Avelina stated.
Kayla is five foot six, weighs between 130 and 150 pounds, and has strawberry-blonde hair and hazel eyes. She also has a lower stomach tattoo and facial piercings.
If you have any information regarding her disappearance, you are urged to contact the Kentucky State Police at (270) 782-2010.
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