A toddler who had been missing from El Paso County since November 2025 has been found safe in Denver, and the child's mother and grandfather are now facing criminal charges tied to the case. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says it was notified on November 8, 2025, of a suspected custody violation after the child's mother allegedly refused to comply with a court order requiring her to return the child.
The mother, 30-year-old Aleyha Murphy, could not be located in the months that followed, and neither could the child, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office said deputies were unable to find either of them in the early stages of the investigation, a stretch of time the Gazette reported dragged on for nearly a year before the case broke open this fall.
The break came on August 22, when Colorado Springs police located and arrested Murphy, who was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a charge of violating a custody order. She was released on a $2,000 bond, but the child remained missing, and detectives kept digging for answers.
A Search Warrant Leads Investigators to Aurora
On September 9, detectives executed a search warrant at Murphy's residence on Rubicon Drive in unincorporated El Paso County. Evidence recovered during that search identified an address of interest in Aurora connected to the child's 54-year-old grandfather, David McGhee, according to the sheriff's office. That lead gave investigators their first solid trail toward the missing child in months.
The sheriff's office then contacted the Aurora Police Department's fugitives and narcotics unit to help confirm the child's whereabouts, which investigators say led them to the 14000 block of Olmstead Drive in Denver. By early October, authorities had pinpointed where the toddler had been staying for an unknown stretch of the missing-persons case.
SWAT Team Recovers the Child, Grandfather Arrested
On October 8, law enforcement arrested McGhee and located the missing child after coordinating with Denver Metro SWAT, the sheriff's office said. Medical personnel evaluated the child before the toddler was safely returned to the custodial parent without incident, bringing the year-long search to a close.
McGhee was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of second-degree kidnapping, attempting to influence a public servant and harboring a minor, according to KRDO. He was released the next day, October 9, on a $3,000 bond. Colorado law separately defines violation of a custody order as a distinct offense under state statute, the charge Murphy originally faced following her August arrest.
Sheriff Credits Detectives and Partner Agencies
El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal thanked detectives for their diligence and persistence in finding and reuniting the child with the custodial parent, the sheriff's office said. Roybal also expressed appreciation to the Aurora Police Department, Denver Metro SWAT and other partner agencies for their assistance and resources throughout the search.
The sheriff's office said the investigation remains active, and it has not released further details on the child's identity or the underlying custody dispute. As KKTV first reported, both Murphy and McGhee are now out on bond as the case against them continues to unfold.
