Missing Missouri Children Safely Rescued in Chaparral, NM

LAS CRUCES – Two children reportedly abducted from Missouri were safely rescued Tuesday in Chaparral, New Mexico, after a coordinated law enforcement operation involving the U.S. Marshals Service and New Mexico authorities.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, a lead was sent Tuesday, May 26, from the Western District of Missouri to the District of New Mexico to help locate two abducted children and apprehend 47-year-old Ralph Jones Jr. Authorities said Jones was wanted by the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri on kidnapping charges.

Investigators believed Jones was traveling through New Mexico with three children, two of whom were the abducted children.

The U.S. Marshals Service District of New Mexico Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team worked with the New Mexico State Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Otero County Sheriff’s Office to locate Jones and recover the children.

Authorities said Jones was found along the 700 block of Luna Drive in Chaparral. The two abducted children, along with a third child, were safely rescued. All three minors were turned over to the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department until arrangements can be made with authorities in Missouri.

Jones was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center, where he is awaiting extradition to Missouri.

U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico David O. Barnett Jr. praised the work of federal, state and local law enforcement, saying the recovery of the children and arrest of the alleged abductor showed the dedication of the U.S. Marshals Service and its partners.

Nodaway County Sheriff Austin Hann also credited quick coordination between his office, the U.S. Marshals Service, New Mexico State Police and assisting agencies in New Mexico, saying two endangered juveniles were safely recovered and a suspect was taken into custody without incident within hours.

Jones is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

By John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications – john@bravomic.com