A self-proclaimed witch doctor has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for murdering a young mother years ago, despite police never finding her body. 

Leila Cavett, 21, and her son reportedly traveled from Georgia to Florida in her white Chevy Silverado pick-up truck on July 24, 2020. 

Cavett was last seen on a surveillance photo from July 25 at a RaceTrac gas station in Hollywood, Florida. At the time she was seen getting into a Lexus sedan.

Her family feared she fled with her son, Kamdyn, to meet up with someone she had met online. 

Around 8am on July 26, Kamdyn was found wandering alone in a parking lot outside an apartment complex in Miramar. The two-year-old was barefoot and wearing only a t-shirt and a diaper.

Cavett's truck was found abandoned on July 28 in a Walmart parking lot nearby.

On August 25 of the same year, Shannon Ryan, 38, was arrested and charged with one count of kidnapping in connection with her disappearance.

Ryan, a self-proclaimed witch and chakra master offering 'spiritual enlightenment' and meditation guidance to more than 19,000 followers online, was convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence on Friday.

According to a probable cause affidavit viewed by the Daily Mail, Ryan was the last person who was seen with her at the RaceTrac gas station, as his Lexus was parked right in the adjacent Walmart parking lot. 

Investigators, who were joined in their search by the FBI in 2022, found that Ryan had purchased carpet odor eliminator, trash bags and duct tape from the Walmart, using Cavett's debit card.

He was also caught on camera entering the RaceTrac with what was later determined to be a bottle of cleaner containing bleach and was later seen with the bottle at the young mother's truck, which was parked by a dumpster near the gas station, as well.

Surveillance footage seen by investigators showed Ryan repeatedly going back and forth from the truck to the dumpster and a trash can, where women's clothing and children's toys were later found discarded. 

Ryan also dragged a large object wrapped in a black garbage bag from the truck to the dumpster and also placed what appeared to be bloody towels in a trash can.

A search warrant later allowed investigators to access Ryan's cellphone data, which showed that he conducted a Google search for 'does bleach and alcohol make chloroform' during the night in which Cavett was last seen. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, chloroform is commonly used to incapacitate someone by rendering them unconscious. 

The phone search further revealed that Ryan accessed the official waste management website in the area, specifically looking for the time of commercial trash pick-up.

Before being arrested, Ryan published a 50-minute long Facebook video of himself describing his relationship and interactions with the young mother, in which he also described her as a manipulative thief who wasted his time.

In the video, he also claimed to have helped her out while she was struggling with homelessness. Cavett was never found.

A jury found Ryan guilty on Friday and he was sentenced to life in prison. 

Ryan has maintained his innocence and his defense attorney told reporters that she is planning to file an appeal. Ryan has 30 days to file his motion.

Gina Cavett, Leila's sister, asked Ryan during the sentencing to reveal what happened to her and said: 'My sister is more than a victim. She was a daughter, a sister and, most importantly, a mother,' CBS Miami reported.

Her brother, Curtis, also demanded: 'I want the truth. I want to know what you did to my sister. I want to know where she is.'

Kamdyn, who is now eight, shared a statement that a victim advocate read out loud: 'I don't remember much about my mom because I was so little.

'I wish she was here so we could go to Dollywood and go ride dirt bikes together and eat sushi.'

In a September Facebook statement, Leila's other sister Tyunia wrote: 'Kamdyn may not have his mother in physical form anymore but he will know her for who she was, not who the defense will try to make her out to be.'