A 23-year-old man made his initial appearance in Jackson Municipal Court on Wednesday and faces a $14 million bond after being charged in connection with a missing 15-year-old, prosecutors said.
Ladarius Thompson is charged with one count of kidnapping, one count of exploitation of a minor, one count of human trafficking and four counts of sexual battery, Jackson Police Department records show. His bond was set at $2 million per charge, totaling $14 million.
Jackson police said the investigation began June 4 when officers received a report of a missing 15-year-old male. Tips indicated the juvenile was seen entering a red truck with an unidentified black male. On June 22 the Reservoir Police Department located the juvenile “at Shaggy” in the company of Thompson and took the youth into custody, police said. Thompson was transported to the Rankin County Jail and the red truck was impounded.
Investigators learned Thompson had been released from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody in January 2026 after taking a plea in connection with an accessory to capital murder charge stemming from a 2023 incident in Jackson, police said. Detectives and federal agents interviewed Thompson at the Rankin County Detention Center; police said he waived his right to an attorney and admitted the juvenile stayed in multiple Jackson hotels for two to three weeks, that he had sexual intercourse with the minor several times and that the minor sent sexual images. Police also said the juvenile provided money after performing sexual acts to obtain rooms.
During the initial appearance the municipal judge told Thompson that if a higher court reduces his bond he must have no contact with any person under 18, including his own 2-year-old son. Hinds County Youth Court Judge Carlyn Hicks placed the juvenile in a safe location, police said. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
