A large police presence swarmed the 2000 block of Mountain View Road in Stafford County on Thursday afternoon as sheriff's deputies searched for a missing juvenile described as a student who had last been seen leaving Mountain View High School. The search prompted both Mountain View High School and Margaret Brent Elementary School to be placed under Secure protocol while investigators worked the area.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office identified the missing teen as Joshua Isaiah Godbolt, 17, in a public notice asking for help locating him, describing him as having black hair, brown eyes, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 127 pounds, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. “Please assist us in locating a missing juvenile, Joshua Isaiah Godbolt,” the office said in its notice. However, Patch reported that the Sheriff's Office had not released the student's name or age, leaving a discrepancy between the two accounts.
Deputies reported the large police presence began shortly after noon Thursday, per the Sheriff's Office account relayed by Patch. The juvenile was described as a young white male with messy hair, possibly wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and dark sweatpants, as reported by WJLA.
Schools Placed Under Secure Protocol During Search
Margaret Brent Elementary School and Mountain View High School were both placed under Secure protocol while deputies searched for the missing student, the station's report notes. Per WJLA, the student was last seen leaving Mountain View High School before the search began, and the Sheriff's Office said the student is no longer in the area.
Accounts differ on what happened next at the two campuses. WJLA reported that Mountain View High School and Margaret Brent Elementary had returned to normal operations after the Secure protocol status, attributing that update to the Sheriff's Office. Patch, however, reported that it had not been told whether the Secure protocols had been lifted at either school, leaving the timing of any resolution unclear.
Investigation Remains Active, Sheriff's Office Says
The Sheriff's Office said the investigation remains active and ongoing, according to the same account relayed by Patch. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the office said.
Thursday's search is not the first time deputies have responded to a missing-student report tied to Mountain View High School. In a separate case, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said a drone was used for the first time to successfully locate a missing person, spotting an 18-year-old Mountain View High School student less than five hours after he was reported missing, according to FOX 5 DC. The two campuses have also seen security scares before: in a 2025 incident unrelated to Thursday's search, Mountain View High School and Margaret Brent Elementary were placed on lockdown after an alarm was triggered, with deputies at the time describing the response as precautionary and saying there was no direct threat to either school, per Potomac Local.
