SIERRA BLANCA, Texas – United States Border Patrol Agents and a Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Sergeant identified a child who was reported missing from the Department of Child Safety (AZDCS) in Phoenix, Arizona during a traffic stop on Wednesday.
Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents operating the immigration checkpoint on I-10 east of El Paso noticed a driver in a vehicle who attempted to avoid inspection by driving outside of the marked traffic lanes and around the checkpoint. Agents and a HCSO Sergeant were able to stop the vehicle without incident several miles east of the checkpoint.
The vehicle was occupied by an adult female and a child in the back seat. Records checks on the vehicle revealed that the license plate did not match the vehicle that had been stopped. Upon further investigation, the female driver was identified as a person of interest who may have taken unlawful custody of her child from AZDCS.
The Female driver was identified as the mother who earlier that day had absconded with her child from a supervised visit in Phoenix, AZ. After the child was abducted, the Arizona DCS Office of Child Welfare Investigations coordinated with the Phoenix Police Department to issue a lookout for the mother and child.
After their identities were confirmed, the proper authorities were notified and the female and child were placed in the custody of the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office.
“This is another compelling example of how the daily mission of the Border Patrol integrates with our local law enforcement partners to protect the general public and reach the ultimate goal of community safety,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert L. Boatright said.
Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents patrol 510 miles of the southwest border that extends from Sierra Blanca, Texas to Sanderson, Texas.
Arizona Department of Child Safety
Email: Darren.DaRonco@azdcs.gov