Jayson was last seen at his home in Phoenix, Arizona on April 15, 1983. He was abducted by his non-custodial stepfather, John David Grooms. Grooms and Jayson's mother, Napolean Pearce, had met in January 1983 and married just three days later. Napolean stated he was physically abusive towards both his stepsons and she was "deathly afraid" of him. In 1983, she was arrested twice for driving while intoxicated. When she was released from jail, she came home and found both Jayson and Grooms missing. Grooms had left a note stating that she was an unfit parent and that he was taking Jayson. He was indicted for felony custodial interference in June 1983, and when he was located in Durango, Colorado in January 1984, he was arrested. Jayson wasn't with him at the time and Grooms refused to say where he was.