Fifteen months after six-year-old twins Amelia and Sophia Johns were last seen in Provo, their father is still pleading for the public's help, and a Utah County judge has now issued a no-bail arrest warrant for the girls' mother on a felony custodial interference charge. Possible sightings have surfaced in four different states, but none have been confirmed, leaving the family in an agonizing limbo.
Joshua Johns told KUTV that possible sightings of the twins have come from Texas, Oregon, Washington and Northern California, though reported sightings remain possibilities rather than confirmed locations. Provo Police are working with the U.S. Marshals Service and private investigators to track down Amelia and Sophia, according to the station's report. Johns said a private investigator told him the U.S. Marshals had been conducting interviews as part of that effort.
A Felony Warrant With No Bail
The Utah County arrest warrant, issued on September 10, charges Victoria Zoe Vincent with one count of custodial interference, a third-degree felony, per the same account. It alleges Vincent took, concealed or withheld the girls intending to interfere with custody, and that she removed or directed their removal from Utah — allegations that remain unproven and do not constitute a conviction. Under Utah Code § 76-5-303, custodial interference becomes a third-degree felony when the person withholding a child removes or directs the removal of that child from the state.
The warrant orders Vincent's arrest, sets no bail and authorizes extradition. A judge found she was likely to flee the court's jurisdiction if released, the warrant states. It also cites claims that Vincent left Utah with the children without providing a forwarding address, did not respond to phone calls, and may be living with the girls under assumed names in Washington, with a Washington post office box listed as the only available address.
Family Ties Point Investigators Across State Lines
Provo Police investigators have identified familial ties for Vincent in Spokane, Washington, as well as locations in Texas and California, according to the Daily Herald, which has guided regional follow-up on leads across the West. Amelia and Sophia were described as blonde-haired, blue-eyed and about four feet tall when their father last saw them, and as slender and energetic, with a fondness for the outdoors, swimming and gymnastics. Johns identified a white Volkswagen as the most concrete vehicle possibility he knows of, while stressing it is just one of several leads investigators are chasing.
The twins were last seen in Provo on July 21, 2025. Johns has previously said Vincent took them to a gymnastics class at the Orem recreation center that day. The family vehicle was left behind in the parking lot with the keys inside; according to podcast investigative coverage from True Crime Unwind, both girls' car seats had also been removed from the vehicle. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children posters now list Amelia and Sophia as 7-year-olds who may be with their mother and may go by the surname Vincent.
A Three-Month Gap Before Police Got Involved
Johns did not report the twins missing to Provo Police until October 2025, nearly three months after they disappeared. The same podcast reporting states he later explained he was bedridden while recovering from a kidney transplant and had initially hoped to resolve the situation without placing Vincent in legal jeopardy. Federal law under the National Child Search Assistance Act requires law enforcement to enter missing-child reports into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database immediately, without any mandatory waiting period, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Provo Police said in May that they had no information at that time indicating the girls were in danger, but investigators believed Vincent left with the girls without Johns' knowledge or consent. Prior to the disappearance, Vincent had placed a call to police raising safety concerns and making allegations against Johns, who denied making threats while acknowledging that post-transplant medication and steroid side effects had caused behavioral changes, per True Crime Unwind's reporting.
Custody Ruling and a Push for New Legislation
A Utah court granted Joshua Johns sole legal custody of Amelia and Sophia in December 2025 after a divorce decree was finalized following Vincent's failure to appear for scheduled court hearings, according to Gephardt Daily, which cited Provo Police Department statements. Johns is now working with Utah State Representative Stephen Whyte on proposed legislation aimed at closing gaps in cases where one parent takes a child, including situations involving parents who are still married and living together. Johns and others reportedly met with the county attorney and Provo's police chief to discuss an enforceable proposal.
Family abductions account for roughly 200,000 of the 260,000 child abductions that occur annually in the United States, according to estimates cited by the Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center. Johns said the girls had left behind their lives, friends and family, and that information suggested they had been moving around. “Living like fugitives” at age seven, he said, is unfair and unhealthy for children.
Johns said he worries about his daughters all the time and experiences shifting emotions as the search drags on. He said their safety and stability matter most, and that he simply wants to see them again and know they are safe. Anyone with information is asked to contact Provo Police detectives at 801-852-6210 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
