GILBERT, Ariz. — *Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article identified the teenager because law enforcement officials were searching for him at the time. His name has since been removed.*
A Gilbert teen who was taken out of state by his mother who believes he is the “Davidic herald of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ" has been found safe in Alaska, officials from the Gilbert Police Department said Friday night.
The 16-year-old was allegedly taken out of school by his mother, Spring Thibaudeau, Monday without his father's permission, according to court documents.
He was found by US Customs and Border Protection agents at the Alcan Port of Entry along the eastern Alaska border, officials said.
His mother and uncle, Brook Hale, were arrested on valid full extradition warrants and turned over to Alaska State Troopers, Gilbert PD officials said.
The father, Ben Thibaudeau, said he believed his son was in danger.
"He is your prototypical teenager where all he wants to do is hang out with friends and he on his phone," Ben Thibaudeau told Nate Eaton with EastIdahoNews.com. "He’s an athlete. He’s on the football team."
Gilbert police started investigating as a missing persons case on Wednesday.
In family court, Ben Thibaudeau's attorney laid out concerns over wife Spring Thibaudeau's extreme doomsday beliefs, including the thought that she is a "chosen prophetess" and part of a group that are "messengers of the last days."
Late Friday afternoon the beliefs came up in two criminal warrants for the teen's uncle and mother, who are now facing custodial interference charges in Maricopa County.
"There’s no way he’s going along with this," Ben Thibaudeau told EastIdahonNews.com. "(He) has never subscribed to any of this. He is in no way a supporter of anything she’s ever believed."
The search ramped up quickly, involving investigators from Gilbert, Boise, Idaho, the FBI, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, known as the Mounties.
Court records claim the teen's mom started following doomsday beliefs that were “eerily similar” to those of Lori Vallow Daybell.
In that case, Vallow Daybell was convicted of killing her kids after moving them from Arizona to Idaho, guided by dark religious beliefs.
Family court records show Ben filed for divorce from his wife about two weeks ago.
After reporting the teen missing, Ben Thibaudeau filed an emergency motion to get sole custody of his son, which a judge granted.
The judge ordered the mom be part of a court hearing next week. The mom has not responded to anything in court.
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