Two baby brothers allegedly kidnapped by their Utah dad were found safe some 800 miles away across the border in Mexico, according to police.
Will Richman, 1, and his 10-month-old brother, Wesley Richman, were located in San Felipe, Mexico on Tuesday, concluding a frantic search after the boys were taken by their cash-strapped dad, Dan Stephen Richman, according to police.
The dad, who had just quit his job and sold off his possessions, was taken into custody.
Earlier this week, the brothers’ mother, who is in a custody dispute with Richman, begged him publicly to surrender to police.
“Please, just take the boys somewhere safe,” she said in a video posted on social media.
The boys were reported missing on Saturday after Richman did not show up for a custody exchange to hand the kids back over to Tomich, Fox 13 reported.
He was scheduled to appear for a deposition on Friday, but Tomich said she learned just minutes before that he was not attending and had fired his lawyer.
The desperate mom’s calls and texts went unanswered and police conducted a welfare check at Richman’s Saratoga Springs home but found it completely empty.
“When we learned this, we knew something was wrong,” Tomich said.
“He has left with almost everything he has with the clear intention of not returning with these children,” she added.
Tomich revealed she was especially anxious because Richman was outdoorsy and would be comfortable living off the grid.
Richman eventually replied and said he was camping with the boys as investigators began to believe he crossed the San Diego border into Mexico after tracking his phone there.
Officials said the boys were in danger due to Richman’s erratic behavior in the previous weeks and an Amber alert was issued on Saturday.
Richman’s “financial situation was dire,” and he was “upside down” on his mortgage, forcing him to take out an additional line of credit on his home equity, according to an indictment.
The dad took out a second mortgage and gave away a motorcycle and truck to friends as collateral, KUTV reported.
Richman quit his job suddenly on May 11 and told his boss “he was unable to continue working due to the current ongoing legal battles with his ex-girlfriend over the custody of his children,” according to the indictment.
He is facing two charges of custodial interference.
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