A 17-year-old boy from Ligonier, Indiana, has been missing for over a week, and authorities are asking the public for help locating him before more time passes.
Jaxon Hunter Campbell was last seen on the evening of Wednesday, May 6, 2026, when he left his home in the middle of the night without telling anyone where he was going.
Unlike many missing person cases where the circumstances are unknown, Jaxon left a note behind. In it, he expressed fear about going back to prison.
According to the Noble County Sheriff’s Office, the teenager is currently on parole and had been caught sneaking in and out of his home through a window on multiple occasions, violating a 9:00 p.m. curfew that had been set for him.
Facing the possibility of consequences for that parole violation, he chose to run rather than face them.
Jaxon is described as a white male standing approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing around 150 pounds.
He has greenish-blue eyes and blonde hair. When he left that night, he was wearing a gray sweatshirt, black shorts, and white socks.
Those who know him say he typically dresses in hoodies, sweatpants, and Nike shoes, so his appearance may have changed since he was last seen.
Investigators and those searching for Jaxon believe he may currently be in the Goshen area, which is roughly 30 miles west of Ligonier in Elkhart County.
He also has known ties to the Fort Wayne area, located about 45 miles to the southeast, which means the search has stretched across a fairly wide stretch of northern Indiana.
Both communities are being watched closely as authorities try to piece together where he might have gone.
The case has been listed with Missing People In America, an organization that tracks and verifies official missing person reports across the country.
The group confirmed that Jaxon’s case is a verified filing and has added him to their national interactive missing persons database, which is described as the largest of its kind in the United States.
The case was formally entered into their system on May 12, 2026, nearly a week after his disappearance.
What makes this case particularly heartbreaking is that Jaxon is not believed to have been taken by anyone. He left on his own, driven by fear and uncertainty about what would happen to him if he stayed.
He is a teenager who made a mistake and then made another by running, and now his family and those who care about him are left wondering where he is and whether he is safe.
A 17-year-old on his own, potentially sleeping outdoors or relying on others he may barely know, faces very real dangers, whether or not that is something he stopped to consider that night.
Anyone who has seen Jaxon Campbell or has any information about his whereabouts is strongly encouraged to reach out to the Noble County Sheriff’s Office directly at 260-636-2182.
Those with information can also contact the Indiana Missing Persons Unit at 1-800-831-8953 or send an email to [email protected].
He has been gone for more than a week. Every tip matters.
