SALT LAKE CITY — The Saratoga Springs Police Department has canceled the AMBER Alert for two missing Utah children after they were both found safe in San Felipe, Mexico on Tuesday.
The AMBER Alert was originally issued for 22-month-old Will Richman and 10-month-old Wesley Richman over the weekend. Their father, Dane Stephen Richman, is in custody and faces 2 charges of custodial interference.
The police department thanked everyone for their assistance in finding the children.
As the search for two toddlers who went missing from Utah continued, their mom posted a video to social media urging the public to keep an eye out for the children.
The boys were reported missing on Saturday after their dad, Dane Stephen Richman, did not show up for a custody exchange.
Lizzie Tomich said she and Richman had a deposition scheduled for Friday, but learned just minutes before that Richman was not attending and had fired his attorney.
She explained that he was not answering her calls or text messages, so she requested a welfare check from police at his Saratoga Springs home, which officers found vacant.
"When we learned this, we knew something was wrong," Tomich said.
Both boys were considered to be in danger due to Richman's erratic behavior over the past few weeks due to alleged financial difficulties, including quitting his job suddenly and selling his possessions.
Tomich said Richman eventually replied to her text messages and said he was camping with the boys. However, police believe he was in the San Diego area and had crossed over the U.S.-Mexico border.
Retired FBI Agent Greg Rogers has seen a number of AMBER Alerts throughout his time at the FBI.
“You see so many of these cases end so badly, when you get two little kids like that home to your family, that does you good,” Rogers said.
Rogers said tips from the public and people close with the suspect play a huge role in helping them find their subjects. In this situation, Rogers said Richman may have been easier to track down because he wasn’t prepared.
“You’re able to track their phones, use surveillance equipment that’s on regular roadways, you’re able to get on their credit cards to see what they’re doing," he shared. "And when they’re doing things like that, which a savvy criminal wouldn’t, that’s great for law enforcement, makes our jobs easier."
Rogers added that the reunification process is quick because being back is in the best interest of the children.
