SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — The father accused of taking his two young Saratoga Springs children and keeping them from their mother, prompting an Amber Alert, quit his job days before he disappeared, new documents show.
An indictment against Dane Stephen Richman alleges his "financial situation was dire," and that he was "upside down" on his mortgage, forcing him to take out an additional line of credit on his home equity.
Two brothers, 22-month-old Will and 10-month-old Wesley, are the faces of the Amber Alert issued Sunday after Richman failed to drop off the children at a custody exchange Saturday.
Authorities said Richman, 46, had been facing financial stress and was selling his possessions while abandoning his home. Charging documents show he quit his job on May 11, telling his boss "he was unable to continue working due to the current ongoing legal battles with his ex-girlfriend over the custody of his children."
WATCH: Kids' mom and her attorney share a timeline on TikTok and ask for the public's help
Richman was charged with two counts of custodial interference. The charging documents also state that his cell phone data showed him in San Diego near the border last Tuesday, and investigators said they have information leading them to believe he crossed into Mexico.
For the Utah family of the boys, it's the hardest thing they've been through, with two children missing and believed to be in some danger.
"No network is too small, there's no location that's wrong to share, share [the alert] with everybody," said Kate Walters, the boys' aunt.
Walters said the last time the family saw Will and Wesley was when Richman picked them up from their mother’s house in Washington state on May 16. When Richman missed a deposition on Friday, police went to his Saratoga Springs home for a welfare check. Family members said they found a moving truck outside and nothing inside.
"That was terrifying to not know where her boys were," said Walters. "So again, unfortunately, because technically he still had custody day, we legally could not do a single thing about it."
When Richman did not return the boys on Saturday as scheduled, police performed another welfare check, which prompted the Amber Alert to be issued.
Amber Alert issued for 2 Saratoga Springs children with 'severely depressed' father:
"Dane, if there's any small chance that you see this, your family cares about you and we're worried about you, and we just need to know that you're safe," Walters pleaded with Richman. "Please bring the babies home, give them the life they were meant to have."
Information shared by authorities said Richman and the children could be in a black Toyota Camry with a Utah license plate A561HL, although a temporary tag may not be visible.
Walters said Will is now walking, but it is more of a waddle walk, while Wesley is crawling. She, like the rest of the family, just hopes the boys are found soon.
"There's no other option," she said. "I can't think of the alternative. Then we'll be able to breathe."
WATCH: What's the criteria to issue an AMBER Alert?
