3 Utah children missing since 2022 found living with FLDS Church, returned to mother
FREDONIA, Arizona (KTVX/KUCW) - Three Utah children missing for two years have been located living with members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Fredonia Police Department revealed Thursday.
The children disappeared in late October 2022, police said. Their last known location at the time was in Beaver County, Utah.
In late August 2024, the police department of the small town of Fredonia, Arizona, received information regarding three children who had been reported missing two years prior.
It was suspected that the father had "orchestrated the disappearance and subsequent hiding" of the children, along with help from family members of the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saint (FLDS) Church, a press release Thursday from Fredonia Police states.
Arizona and Utah agencies conducted a joint effort to plan to retrieve the children. On Sept. 1, 2024, authorities found and retrieved the three children and returned them to their mother.
Police also apprehended the children’s grandmother and aunt who "appeared to be overseeing the children," the release states.
The Kanab City Police Department, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County SWAT, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigation, and volunteers from the children’s family assisted in the planning and retrieval of the missing children.
"The Fredonia Police Department would like to thank all involved for their assistance," the release states. "As of today, the children are safe with their mother as this investigation continues."
No further information is available at this time.