U.S. Marshals in Nevada, Las Vegas MPD Recover 2 Missing Children, Arrest Father

Washington, DC – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in Nevada, working with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, on Tuesday recovered two children reported missing by their mother and arrested their noncustodial father.

The children’s mother filed a missing children’s report in June 2024 with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) after the children’s father failed to return them to her, by court-ordered agreement. Both juveniles were entered into NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

LVMPD patrol officers attempted to contact the father at his last known address but were unsuccessful. LVMPD then requested assistance from the USMS Nevada Violent Offenders Task Force (NVOTF) assistance in locating the father and the missing children. 

Investigators developed information that the family had been living as squatters at multiple residences but on June 30, they learned that both children had been positively identified at a residence on Whitlocks Mill Avenue in Las Vegas.  

NVOTF members initiated mobile surveillance of the father after he was seen leaving the residence. As he exited his vehicle task force members took him into custody, transported him to Clark County Detention Center and booked him on two counts of child abuse/neglect. 

After the father refused to cooperate with investigators, officers obtained a search warrant for the house, which led to the discovery of both children, as well as two elderly adults, who were taken into custody for questioning. Officers also found multiple firearms in closets, which were easily accessible to both the adults and children in the home.

Las Vegas Child Protective Services took custody of the children.

LVMPD's Abuse and Neglect Division were also contacted, and after obtaining a search warrant for the firearms, officers recovered 15 firearms and ammunition, including body-armor piercing rounds.

The Nevada Violent Offender Task Force comprises law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Service; Carson City Sheriff’s Office; Boulder City Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety; City of North Las Vegas City Marshals; Clark County District Attorney’s Office; Douglas County Sheriff’s Office; Drug Enforcement Administration; Henderson Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; Lyon County Sheriff’s Office; Mineral County Sheriff’s Office; Nevada Department of Corrections; Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles; Nevada Gaming Control Board; Nevada State Police; North Las Vegas Police Department; Nye County Sheriff’s Office; Reno Police Department; Sparks Police Department; Washoe County District Attorney’s Office; and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information about wanted fugitives is encouraged to submit it via the USMS Tips app.