LEESBURG, Florida—Wednesday marks 19 years since Trenton Duckett was reported missing and his family once again will hold a candlelight vigil in his honor.
The vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Leesburg Town Square, 500 West Main Street, hosted by Trenton’s father Joshua, and his grandmother Carla Fort.
Nineteen years ago, Leesburg and Lake County drew national attention when a mother embroiled in a divorce and custody dispute reported her toddler missing. In the two weeks after Trenton Duckett was reported missing, the case took dramatic turns as police found sonogram photos in a dumpster, accused his father of involvement, and investigated his mother’s suicide following an appearance on CNN’s Nancy Grace.
Joshua Duckett was a young father going through a nasty divorce with Trenton’s mom, Melinda Duckett. After Melinda hacked Josh’s Myspace account and sent herself a threatening message, Melinda was granted an injunction, and all custody and visitation rights were stolen from Josh. He took Trenton swimming just before the message was sent and never imagined that would be the last he saw his smiling little boy who was learning to use the bathroom on his own. And now the tiny toddler, residents of Lake County and people all around the country prayed for, is a 21-year-old man if he is still alive.
Over the years, law enforcement, family, friends, and armchair detectives have floated countless theories, but no evidence has ever confirmed that Trenton is deceased. “There is no verifiable proof he is dead,” Leesburg Police Chief Joe Iozzi told Inside Lake in 2022 when he was a captain, serving as the department’s public information officer…