A missing 16-year-old was found by U.S. Customs agents at an Alaska border crossing. He was with his mother and uncle, who allegedly abducted him as part of their doomsday beliefs that the end of the world is imminent, according to the teen's father.
A missing 16-year-old was found at a border crossing in Alaska, accompanied by his mother and uncle, who were arrested in a doomsday case that involved a nationwide search, authorities said.
Blaze Thibaudeau disappeared last week in Arizona, after his mother, Spring Thibaudeau, signed him out of school and vanished, police said. The teen's father, Ben, then filed an emergency order for full custody, alleging his wife and her brother believed the end of the world was near, and that the boy was a prophet.
The teen did not share those beliefs and had been taken against his will, according to the filing.
Spring Thibaudeau believes she is a “chosen prophetess” and Blaze is the “Davidic messenger,” the father claimed. The woman and her brother, Brook Hale, shared beliefs "eerily similar to the well-publicized saga of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell ... which culminated in murdered children," the custody order claimed.
An Arizona judge granted the order on Oct. 24. Arrest warrants were issued Friday for the mother and Hale, on two felony counts each of custodial interference.
Investigators learned Spring Thibaudeau, Hale, Blaze, and the teen's adult sister had flown to Boise, authorities said. Idaho police and the FBI joined the search.
The group was stopped Friday night by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Alcan Port of Entry on the Alaska-Canada border, federal authorities announced.
The two adults are currently being held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center on charges of being fugitives from justice, according to online records, and face extradition to Arizona. Their next scheduled court date is Nov. 24.
Blaze Thibaudeau is in the custody of juvenile social workers until he can be reunited with his father, according to authorities.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the adults' public defender, but hasn't heard back.
Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty this year of murdering her two children, Joshua Jaxon "J.J." Vallow and Tylee Ryan. She was also found guilty of conspiring to murder husband Chad Daybell's first wife, Tammy Daybell.
She was sentenced in July to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her attorneys have appealed that conviction.
Chad Daybell's murder trial is scheduled to begin in April 2024. He is accused of murdering the children and his former wife. He has pleaded not guilty and could face the death penalty if convicted.
