Saratoga Springs man abducted his children, fled to Mexico, charges say
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- Dane Richman, who authorites say abducted his two boys and fled to Mexico, is shown.
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- Wesley Richman is shown.
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- Will Richman is shown.
A Saratoga Springs man who abducted his two young boys, prompting an amber alert late Saturday night and Sunday morning, is believed to have fled to Mexico with the children, according to authorities.
Dan Richman, 46, was charged in Provo’s Fourth District Court on Sunday with two counts of custodial interference, third-degree felonies. Police said he did not show for a scheduled children exchange with the mother on Saturday and was believed to have crossed the border on or around May 19.
According to a probable cause statement, Richman picked up his two children, Will Thomas Richman and Wesley Dane Richman, who are 22 months and 10 months old, respectively, from their mother in Washington State on May 16, as per the custodial agreement.
A deposition on the ongoing custody battle was scheduled for Friday but Richman did not show, and detectives were told he had emailed his attorney that morning saying he no longer needed her services, court documents said.
The children’s mother issued a wellness check that day, and police noted the house was vacant and learned that neighbors had not seen Richman for at least one week, the probable cause statement said.
Richman’s most recent cell phone location information was reported near San Diego on May 19, near the border, and detectives said they had information that Richman likely crossed the border.
Court documents said police learned Richman’s financial situation was “dire,” and that he had negative equity on his mortgage and quit his job on May 11.
“(Richman’s) boss said that (Richman) simply told him that he was unable to continue working due to the current ongoing legal battles with his ex-girlfriend over the custody of his children,” the probable cause statement said. “(Richman’s) boss also said that (Richman) had mentioned that (he) needed to move as he was losing his house to foreclosure.”
Police also said Richman had given his motorcycle and pickup truck to a friend as collateral in exchange for money to fund his legal expenses from the custody dispute. No friends, family or other contacts have managed to contact Richman.
