Two Utah toddlers at the center of an AMBER Alert have been found safe after a frantic search. Will Richman, two, and his 10-month old brother Wesley were located in San Felipe, Mexico. Their father, …
Two Utah toddlers at the center of an AMBER Alert have been found safe after a frantic search. Will Richman, two, and his 10-month old brother Wesley were located in San Felipe, Mexico.
Their father, Dane Richman, is now in custody, according to the FBI and Saratoga Springs Police Department.
Police previously said they believe that 46-year-old Richman—who had just quit his job, was facing financial troubles and was in a custody dispute over the two children—crossed the border from San Diego into Mexico last week.
Investigators think he may have been planning the abduction of the toddlers for weeks.
An AMBER Alert was issued for the two boys in Saratoga Springs, Utah, on Saturday, May 16. The alert said they were in “imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death” after their father allegedly failed to attend a custody exchange.
It described their father as “seriously depressed,” and under financial stress. The alert, issued by the Utah Department of Public Safety, said that he had been selling his possessions and had abandoned his home.
AMBER Alert Triggered After No-show
Richman had been identified as a suspect. The children’s mother contacted the police to request a welfare check on Thursday after Dane Richman missed a court-related deposition in an ongoing custody case, according to a report from KUTV.
The mother contacted police again on Saturday after the children were supposed to be returned in a custody exchange, and no one showed up. That call triggered the AMBER Alert.
The AMBER Alert states that “the first suspect is identified as Dane Stephen Richman. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 195 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.”
The two boys have blonde hair and blue eyes. Will Richman is 2 feet 6 inches, and weighs about 31 Ibs. Wesley Richman is 2 feet 2 inches and weighs about 23 Ibs.
Authorities said that they were believed to be in a Black Toyota Camry with a Utah license plate A561HL, but noted that the vehicle could have a temporary tag and that the license plate may not be visible.
A woman named Kate Walters shared a post to Facebook and identified herself as a family member. “My sister’s children have been abducted,” she wrote in the post, adding: “Please, we need your help and prayers for these boys.”
What is an AMBER Alert?
An AMBER Alert—short for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response—is an emergency notification system designed to notify the public when a child is believed to have been abducted and faces imminent danger of serious injury or death.
When law enforcement confirms that a child under 17 has been taken and meets activation criteria, the alert is issued. It pushes details about the child, the suspected abductor, and any associated vehicle across multiple channels, including Wireless Emergency Alerts, TV and radio broadcasts, and highway message boards.
Since its launch, the AMBER Alert system has been credited with helping recover more than 1,000 missing children across the United States.
The goal is to enlist the public’s help in the critical early hours of an abduction. This gives law enforcement additional eyes and ears to aid in locating missing children and apprehending suspects. Officials emphasize that such alerts are time-sensitive and are often deployed within hours of an abduction to maximize the chances of safely recovering a child.
Update 05/27/26 10:35 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and the headline has been changed.
Update 05/26/26 3.05 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Source: Utah News