Abducted boys found safely in Mexico; Saratoga Springs father in custody
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- Wesley Richman is shown.
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- Will Richman is shown.
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- Dane Richman, who authorities say abducted his two boys and fled to Mexico, is shown.
Two boys abducted by their father, Dane Stephen Richman, were found safely in Mexico and Richman was taken into custody, Saratoga Springs police announced late Tuesday night.
Authorities said 22-month-old Will Richman and 10-month-old Wesley Richman were located in San Felipe, Mexico, Tuesday evening, cancelling an amber alert issued last Saturday.
Richman, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Sunday in Provo’s Fourth District Court with two counts of custodial interference after court documents said he violated his custody agreement when he did not return the boys to their mother on Saturday.
Authorities had reason to believe Richman crossed the border on or around May 19, according to court documents. Saratoga Springs police said the boys were located in coordination with the FBI, the Utah County Attorney’s Office and the Utah Department of Public Safety.
“A special thanks to the FBI for their efforts and support,” a news release said.
According to a probable cause statement, Richman picked up the two boys 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, May 22, 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 requested 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, according to authorities.
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.
The investigation found Richman’s financial situation was “dire,” and that he had negative equity on his mortgage and quit his job on May 11, court documents said.”(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.
