A frantic search is unfolding in Utah as authorities pursue two young brothers who disappeared with their father. Police have sounded alarms, expressing concern that the children may be in grave danger due to their father’s deteriorating mental state.
Early Sunday morning, an Amber Alert was issued for one-year-old Will Richman and his baby brother Wesley after their father, Dane Stephen Richman, failed to appear for a custody exchange in Saratoga Springs the previous day. The children were supposed to be returned to their mother, as they alternated weeks between parents.
Investigators have not seen the boys since the missed exchange, sparking an urgent effort to locate them. Family members and law enforcement are working tirelessly, following every lead to uncover their whereabouts.
Authorities have expressed escalating concern about Richman’s behavior leading up to the disappearance. They report that he was reportedly battling severe depression, dealing with financial difficulties, and had potentially left his home behind before vanishing with his sons.
The Amber Alert highlights the severity of the situation: “There is concern for the safety and well-being of the children as the suspect has been seriously depressed, selling possessions, facing financial stress, and abandoned his home,” it reads, underlining the urgency and seriousness of this case.
‘There is concern for the safety and well-being of the children as the suspect has been seriously depressed, selling possessions, facing financial stress, and abandoned his home,’ the Amber Alert states.
The warning has raised fears the children may face ‘imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death,’ according to investigators.
The two little boys are seen alongside their mother Lizzie Tomich
The Amber Alert stated there were growing fears for the children’s ‘safety and well-being’ because Richman had been selling possessions and abandoning his home before vanishing
Utah authorities issued an Amber Alert on Sunday after Dane Stephen Richman, failed to attend a custody exchange
Will is described as about 2-foot-6 and 31 pounds with blonde or strawberry-colored hair and blue eyes, while Wesley is described as approximately 2-foot-2 and 23 pounds with blonde or strawberry-colored hair and blue eyes.
Their father, Dane, is described as 6-foot-2 and around 195 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.
The boys’ aunt, Katie Walters, said the family knew that something was wrong after their mother, Tomich turned up at their deposition only to find her husband had fired his lawyer, telling him his services were no longer needed.
When Tomich found her husband wasn’t picking up his phone she urged police to conduct a welfare check at his home.
Richman had told his wife that he was going to be away camping with the children but when officers got to the house they found a moving truck pulling out of his driveway.
‘He had completely moved out of his house that the children were supposed to be living in, and the moving truck was just actually pulling out of the driveway, and the police were able to stop the moving truck, and they asked what’s going on,’ Walters told ABC4.
‘They said they didn’t even know because they never even saw the owner of the home while they were there. They only were communicating via text.’
Walters said she found out that Richman had been giving away his possessions to neighbors including a new dresser for the baby’s room that he had bought only weeks earlier.
‘It was liquidating. On top of that, he had recently quit his job a week or so ago, so he no longer has a source of income. You put two and two together,’ she said.
‘We have enough intel from the FBI and police to reasonably suspect that he has left the state of Utah.’
Infant Wesley Dane Richman was described by investigators as approximately 2-foot-2 and 23 pounds with blonde or strawberry-colored hair and blue eyes.
Authorities identified missing child Will Thomas Richman as a one-year-old boy with blonde or strawberry-colored hair and blue eyes who stands about 2-foot-6 and weighs 31 pounds
‘I miss my babies !!! Please help me find them. They are my world!!!! I can’t even describe how awful this is. Please please please help me find them!!!!’, mom Lizzie Tomich wrote online
Will Richman, 22 months, right, and 10-month-old Wesley Richman, left, with mom Lizzie Tomich. The two brothers have been kidnapped by their father
Tomich stated explicitly that her children had been ‘kidnapped’ by the boy’s father
Police believe Richman and his two young sons may be traveling in a black 2025 Toyota Camry bearing Utah license plate A561HL, although investigators warned the vehicle could also be displaying a temporary tag that may make the plate difficult to identify.
Law enforcement agencies across Utah are now searching for the black Camry while urging drivers, business owners and residents to report any sightings immediately.
‘I miss my babies !!! Please help me find them. They are my world!!!! I can’t even describe how awful this is. Please please please help me find them!!!!’, mom Lizzie Tomich wrote online.
Police have not publicly disclosed where investigators believe Richman may be headed.
