Hernando deputies seek missing endangered Brooksville teen Jeremy Woods Jr.

Hernando County deputies are asking residents to help find 15-year-old Jeremy Woods Jr., who was last seen around 12:10 a.m. May 6 at his home on Lincoln Avenue in Brooksville. The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office classified the case as a missing endangered juvenile investigation and said anyone with information should call 352-754-6830 immediately.

Deputies said Jeremy is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs about 130 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white shirt with unknown red lettering and black pants. Authorities also said he was not wearing shoes and may have been wearing a gray durag. Those details are important for anyone in Brooksville, especially drivers, store employees and neighbors who may have seen someone walking before dawn near Lincoln Avenue or in nearby neighborhoods.

The sheriff’s office posted the case on May 6 as “Missing Endangered Juvenile - Jeremy Woods Jr.” under case number 2026-00191132. No additional details were released about where he may have gone or what specific danger may be involved, which is common in an active missing-person investigation while deputies work to protect leads and keep the public alert to possible sightings.

The urgency of the search is heightened by Jeremy’s age and the narrow window of time since he was last seen. Early calls from the public can make the difference in cases like this, especially when a teen is reported missing from a specific street in a close-knit neighborhood. Hernando County deputies want anyone who saw Jeremy, or who may know where he went, to contact the agency at 352-754-6830.

The case also fits into Florida’s broader missing-person alert system. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse serves as the state’s central repository for missing endangered persons and supports AMBER, Missing Child, Purple and Silver Alert systems. Florida’s Missing Child Alert is used when a child is missing and believed to be in life-threatening danger, with no indication of abduction.

Hernando County Sheriff’s Office says it provides law-enforcement services to a population of 218,150, including Brooksville. The agency also directs anonymous tips to Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-8477, where tipsters may be eligible for rewards up to $5,000.