MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- Late Thursday, investigators working the disappearance of a 2-year-old Leesburg boy could hardly believe the lead they had stumbled upon.

The Orlando-based flight crew aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 926 was certain little Trenton Duckett was one of their passengers. It was a flight from Buffalo, where his mother Melinda Duckett still has family.

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Southwest Airlines notified the Orlando Police Department, and they called the FBI. When the plane pulled into the gate around 8:45 p.m., authorities converged on the plane. They asked all of the passengers to stay seated and escorted the little boy and the woman he was traveling with to the jet bridge.

But when they got the lead FBI agent on the phone, they found out it was not Trenton Duckett. The boy had just been returning home with his mother, to meet his older brother and father.

Channel 9 Eyewitness News made contact with the family in the baggage claim area, but they would not comment.

Authorities also had to tell Joshua Duckett the lead proved false; the young father had already been heading to the airport, after being notified about the potential discovery.

Earlier Thursday, Joshua Duckett told Channel 9 Eyewitness News that he wasn’t surprised investigators had named his estranged wife Melinda as the prime suspect in his son’s disappearance. He said he tried to warn authorities several times that Melinda may be putting their son in danger. That she wrote a fake email to move the blame to him.

Police finally confirmed what they've been hinting at for weeks and Josh Duckett said he knew his wife, Melinda, had something to do with Trenton's disappearance. He still thinks she gave the boy to someone to keep Trenton away from him, but Thursday police revealed why they think she might have done something even worse than that.

"The very disturbing items that are in it [email], the very serious threats in it, they were very troubling to investigators," said Cpt. Steve Rockefeller of the Leesburg Police Department.

Police have confirmed it was Melinda Duckett who hacked into her husband's account and wrote a threatening e-mail to herself. It talked about burying Melinda and Trenton together.

"I've stood by my word and told the truth since the beginning," said Josh Duckett.

Josh Duckett said the fake e-mail kept him from getting custody of his son, even though he told Bushnell police and the Department of Children and Families about other threats Melinda made.

"She had grabbed him around the neck, held him upside down, shook him, held a knife to him. There was numerous things DCF was supposedly investigating," said Duckett.

He said if he had custody, Trenton wouldn't be missing and Melinda might still be alive.

"Melinda Duckett is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Trenton," said Rockefeller.

Police now believe something happened to Trenton sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning, many hours before Melinda reported him missing. An entire timeline from Leesburg businesses Sunday morning to an ATM withdrawal to cell phone tracking in Ocala and Wildwood, Clermont and Tavares. None of the Sunday sightings of Melinda showed any sign of the missing toddler.

Police said they were checking out a new tip which said another adult was seen driving around with Melinda.