Kayla Huff Has Been Missing Since Wednesday. A 17-Year-Old Is Now in Custody.

She Has Been Missing Since Wednesday.

Sixteen-year-old Kayla Huff of Moberly, Missouri has been missing since May 6, 2026. She was reportedly with a 17-year-old boy. By Friday, that boy had been arrested in connection with her disappearance.

Kayla has not been found.

On Sunday, May 11, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest but declined to identify the teenager or disclose whether the person taken into custody was the same individual last seen with Kayla. The sheriff did not answer questions about what charges had been filed or what evidence prompted the arrest.

Kayla’s parents, Mike and Renee Huff, are still searching.

Hundreds of Volunteers. 3,500 Acres. No Sign of Her.

Since Kayla was reported missing, dozens of volunteers have poured into the Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area - a 3,500-acre stretch of Missouri woodland southeast of the small town of Higbee. Searchers have covered the terrain on foot and on horseback. Drones have swept the area from the air. Boats have been deployed across Bennitt Lake.

According to ABC17 News, volunteers have come from as far away as New York. Donations of food and water have arrived from across mid-Missouri. A private citizen flew in with a two-seat helicopter and offered to survey any area the family requested.

‘They’re mapping everywhere that they’re searching so that way they can mark those off the grid and make sure that they’re getting every area covered,’ Kayla’s father Mike told ABC17 News.

The search has continued for six days. Kayla’s description is 5 feet 7 inches tall with long braided hair.

‘That No Matter How Bad My Day Was, She Would Be Smiling’

To the people who knew Kayla Huff, her disappearance has been devastating.

Her parents described her as a social butterfly - someone who lit up every room she walked into. ‘She’s gotten messages from people she worked with that have had nothing but good things to say,’ her father Mike told ABC17 News. ‘They said that no matter how bad their day was, they could come in and Kayla would be smiling and happy and talking and giving hugs.’

Her mother Renee described the outpouring of community support as both overwhelming and heartbreaking. Strangers have driven hours to search for a girl they have never met. They keep coming back.

The Arrest That Has Not Produced Answers

The arrest of the 17-year-old on Friday introduced a new dimension to the case - and a new set of questions.

Authorities have not confirmed whether the arrested individual is the same boy who was with Kayla the night she disappeared. They have not released details about the charges. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to ABC17’s follow-up questions about the connection between the arrest and the ongoing search.

That silence has amplified the anguish for a family already in agony.

‘It’s just frustrating because we’re not going to be satisfied until we find our daughter,’ Kayla’s father said.

The Search Continues

As of May 11, 2026, the search for Kayla Huff is active. Her parents are asking anyone with information to contact the Moberly Police Department or reach out through social media. Volunteers looking to join search efforts or donate resources are also being directed to those channels.

Kayla is 5 feet 7 inches tall with long braided hair. She was last seen in the Moberly neighborhood area of Randolph County, Missouri.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Moberly Police Department.

References: Search Continues for Missing Randolph County Teen