Key facts
- Names: Danielle Escue Lea (39) and Alayna Lea (10)
- Last seen: Late April / early May 2026
- Location: Butte La Rose area, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana (Atchafalaya Basin)
- Status: Both still missing — reported missing July 28, 2026
- Associated individual: James Michael Nona, 42 (alleged career fugitive using multiple aliases; arrested in Texas on unrelated charges; not named a suspect)
- Investigating agency: St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office; Louisiana State Police; Baton Rouge Police
The house with stairs
In the spring of 2026, Danielle Lea sold her home in East Feliciana Parish. She left with her ten-year-old daughter, Alayna, and a man the family knew as “Trevor.”
Then Danielle became hard to reach. She wouldn’t tell relatives exactly where she and Alayna were staying. Messages kept coming from her phone — but the wording started to frighten the family. One told Alayna’s grandmother, Wanda Broussard, that she would be blocked and no longer allowed to speak with Alayna. Another said Danielle planned to change her phone number and move to Arkansas with a man named “Bradley.” Some messages referred to relatives by their full names — which, the family said, was unlike Danielle.
One of the last real conversations anyone had with Alayna happened in early May, on a call with a family friend. The ten-year-old said she was living in a house with stairs. Relatives would later come to believe she was describing a camp in Butte La Rose — after seeing video of the property.
The man the family knew as “Trevor” was, investigators discovered, James Michael Nona, 42 — an alleged career fugitive living under multiple aliases, wanted on felony warrants. After Nona was arrested in Texas on unrelated charges, Danielle and Alayna weren’t with him. On July 28, 2026, the family reported them missing.
Months had passed. The trail was already cold.
The search
The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Baton Rouge Police, and the United Cajun Navy — the volunteer search-and-rescue organization — all joined the effort across the Atchafalaya Basin country around Butte La Rose: swamp, camps, waterways, the kind of terrain that swallows things.
On September 25, 2026, family and friends gathered in Ethel, Louisiana, for a candlelight vigil marking Alayna’s birthday. Her aunt Chelsie McLendon and grandmother Wanda Broussard were there. A young family member named Josie spoke to Alayna through the cameras: “I love her, miss her and want her home. I’ll be waiting for you on Roblox.”
Clint Stewart, pastor of Ethel Baptist Church, said what everyone was thinking: “As you can see we have people videoing, so the world can see. To let the world know that we are looking. And we will not go quietly in this night. We will continue to look and to search and not stop. Somewhere out there somebody knows something.”
As of early October 2026, Danielle and Alayna have not been found. Authorities have not named Nona a suspect in the investigation.
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play connected to Nona. The facts that worry investigators: a fugitive using aliases, a mother cut off from her family, messages that read as coerced, a ten-year-old describing a hidden location — and then nothing. But Nona has not been named a suspect, he was arrested on unrelated charges, and no evidence tying him to harm has been made public. The presumption of innocence applies.
They are alive, hidden or held. The family’s hope, and the reason the United Cajun Navy is still searching rather than recovering: the messages, however strange, kept coming into May. Someone was holding that phone.
Voluntary flight. Danielle did sell her house and leave — initially, by her own apparent choice. But the concerning messages, the aliases, and five months of silence since have moved this from a plausible explanation to a remote one.
Have information?
Contact the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency. You can also call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- Spring 2026 — Danielle sells her home; leaves with Alayna and a man the family knows as “Trevor.”
- Early May 2026 — Alayna tells a family friend she’s living in “a house with stairs”; concerning messages arrive from Danielle’s phone.
- July 2026 — James Michael Nona arrested in Texas on unrelated charges; Danielle and Alayna not with him.
- July 28, 2026 — Reported missing; multi-agency search begins around Butte La Rose.
- September 25, 2026 — Candlelight vigil in Ethel for Alayna’s birthday.
- Today — Both still missing.
FAQ
Are Danielle and Alayna Lea still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, the mother and daughter have been missing for about five months.
Were Danielle and Alayna Lea ever found?
No. Despite searches by multiple law enforcement agencies and the United Cajun Navy, they have not been located.
How old are Danielle and Alayna Lea?
Danielle is 39; Alayna is 10 (her birthday was marked with a vigil in September 2026).
Who is James Michael Nona?
A 42-year-old man, known to the family as “Trevor,” who investigators say is an alleged career fugitive who used multiple aliases and was wanted on felony warrants. He was arrested in Texas on unrelated charges. Authorities have not named him a suspect in the Leas’ disappearance.
What was the “house with stairs”?
On one of the last calls before contact was lost, ten-year-old Alayna told a family friend she was living in a house with stairs. Relatives later believed she was describing a camp in the Butte La Rose area after seeing video of the property.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Contact the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office with any information about Danielle and Alayna’s whereabouts in April–July 2026.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office; Louisiana State Police; Baton Rouge Police Department.
- News: Louisiana First News — “Candlelight vigil held for missing mother and daughter last seen in Louisiana” (Sept 25, 2026); “Family shares new details in search for missing mother, daughter last seen in Louisiana” (KLFY, Sept 2026); The Advocate/Shreveport-Bossier Advocate — “Search continues for missing mother, daughter” (Aug 2026).
- Reference: United Cajun Navy (volunteer search coordination).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.