‘Incredibly difficult’: Missing 13-year-old boy found dead after last being seen riding bicycle

LINN COUNTY, Kan. (KCTV/Gray News) – Officials in Kansas said a man is in custody in connection with the discovery of a young boy’s body early Monday.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said they received a report of a missing person around 6:20 p.m. on Sunday.

The sheriff’s office said 13-year-old Airen Andula had last been seen around 8 a.m. that morning riding a red mountain bike in the Holiday Lakes community and possibly heading toward Pleasanton.

After the sheriff’s office confirmed Airen was missing, they contacted a number of neighboring agencies to begin a large-scale search of the Pleasanton area.

Search teams checked the surrounding woods as well as bodies of water, communities and outbuildings until about 2 a.m. before pausing efforts until morning. After the search resumed, an agency helping reported back that Airen’s body had been found.

According to court documents, the Bates County Sheriff’s Office responded to 47-year-old Damon Leonard’s home in Pleasanton on Tuesday after he called to tell them Airen was dead and he knew where the body was.

Deputy Sheriff Amy Fishbaugh said Leonard described taking Airen’s body from Kansas to Missouri and leaving it in a remote part of Bates County in a creek bed.

Details regarding Airen’s manner of death were not shared.

Leonard was arrested and charged with felony abandonment of a corpse. He has a $100,000 cash-only bond, and his first court date is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

Court documents also said further charges are expected to be filed in Kansas. The investigation was handed to the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s crime scene response team.

Pleasanton USD 344 confirmed Airen was a student and offered

Pleasanton Unified School District 344 confirmed Andula was a student and offered counseling and support services starting at 9 a.m. in the school commons.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family during this incredibly difficult time. We ask that our community keep the family in their thoughts and prayers and respect their privacy as they grieve,” Superintendent Don Epps said in a statement.

Agencies that assisted the search for Andula included the Pleasanton Police Department, Linn County Rural Fire, Anderson County Fire, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office and the Bates County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office.