Three missing children found and reunited with mother two years after disappearance

Published 09:29 23 Nov 2024 GMT

The three children were allegedly taken from their mom by their dad who absconded to live in a church commune

After years of their disappearance three children have returned safely home to their mom in Utah.

Authorities suspect their dad was involved with their vanishing after they were found in neighboring Arizona in a small town Fredonia - less than five miles from the Utah-Arizona border.

The children were first reported missing back in October, 2022, and Fredonia Police Department Chief Jason Peterson received a tip off of their whereabouts in August.

It is understood they were being harbored with the help of family from the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saint (FLDS) church - which ABC News describes as a radical polygamist sect that splintered off from the Mormon Church.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, polygamy means marrying more than one spouse.

A statement from Fredonia Police Department explained that cops believe that the father 'orchestrated the disappearance and subsequent hiding'.

On September 1, a multi-agency investigation and subsequent raid of the commune helped retrieve the three children.

Their father is believed to have absconded while police brought their grandma and aunt into custody who 'appeared to be overseeing the children'.

It added: "As of today, the children are safe with their mother as this investigation continues."

Fredonia is located just over 30 miles from Colorado City where polygamous leader and self-proclaimed FLDS prophet Samuel Bateman previously lived.

More to follow.