A tense saga concerning the whereabouts of a missing 5-year-old Utah boy came to a close early Saturday morning. The child was safely located at about 2:15 a.m., ending an Endangered Missing Advisory that had been in effect since his disappearance. According to KUTV, the young boy had been missing since Thursday, when his non-custodial father took him during scheduled visitation hours and subsequently failed to return him to his mother.
The boy's mother, who maintains sole legal custody, reported him missing after the father sent her an email stating he had taken the child "away" to prevent him from undergoing a scheduled surgery. The police have released no details on how exactly the child was located. In respect for privacy, KUTV has strategically chosen to remove the minor's name and images from their reporting.
Leading up to the resolution, the boy's disappearance had triggered widespread concern. Natalie Despain, the boy's mother, told PEOPLE about her ex-husband’s history of domestic violence and mental illness and shared fears he may seek to travel out of state. Her suspicions were rooted in previous statements by the father expressing a desire to educate their son on Latter-day Saint church history by traveling east.
Additional context provided by the East Idaho News noted that authorities had considered whether the father may have taken the child to Idaho or the St. George area in southern Utah, although it was acknowledged he could have traveled elsewhere. Police efforts to serve a protective order against Benjamin Despain were hampered due to his unknown location prior to the child being found.
