A 15-year-old boy is missing after last being seen near Fuquay-Varina, and Wake County deputies are asking the public for help finding him. Jaden Thompson was last seen in the 9600 block of Kennebec Road near Angier and Fuquay-Varina, according to authorities. He stands about 5-foot-7, with brown hair and blue eyes.
According to WRAL, Wake County deputies have asked for the public's help locating Thompson and are urging anyone who spots him or has information about his whereabouts to call 911. The photo authorities released of Thompson was credited to the Wake County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Willie L. Rowe, holds primary law enforcement jurisdiction over unincorporated stretches of Wake County, including the rural areas around Willow Spring and Fuquay-Varina, and patrols more than 800 square miles of county territory, per Wake County Government.
A Search Along a Fast-Growing County Line
The location where Thompson was last seen sits in an area of transition. The 9600 block of Kennebec Road lies near the Wake-Harnett county line, a mix of rural farmland and growing residential development between Fuquay-Varina and Angier, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The agency has planned major widening and bypass projects along nearby N.C. Highway 55 to accommodate the region's rapid growth.
Anyone with non-emergency information can also submit tips to the Wake County Sheriff's Office at (919) 856-6911 or through the agency's official mobile app, according to Wake County Government.
AMBER Alert Eligibility
North Carolina law does not allow police to enforce any waiting period before accepting a missing person report, a rule now codified under General Statute § 143B-1765 after being recodified from § 143B-1015 in May 2025, per the North Carolina General Assembly. Federal guidelines and state law enforcement standards further require that missing juveniles under 21 be entered into the National Crime Information Center database within two hours of officers obtaining the required identifying details, including name, birth date, physical traits, and date of last contact.
Those procedural timelines do not automatically trigger a statewide emergency broadcast. Under North Carolina Center for Missing Persons rules, an AMBER Alert can only be issued if a child under 18 is believed to have been criminally abducted or is in danger of serious injury or death — a threshold that explicitly excludes voluntary runaways, according to the state's guidance. The criteria govern when an AMBER Alert may be issued.
Tracking Missing Juvenile Reports
North Carolina tracks missing juvenile reports, according to the NC Center for Missing Persons.
Even so, law enforcement protocols call for treating every initial report with urgency regardless of whether a case eventually turns out to involve a runaway.
As of now, no updated description or additional detail about Thompson's disappearance has been released beyond what deputies initially shared. Anyone who sees him or has information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.
