A little boy was reunited with his father this week after missing for months. 6-year-old Braedence Jones went missing in August 2018. His mother, Aubrey Ferguson, did not return the child to his father, Ryan, after visitation.
More than a custody battle gone wrong, the mother and her boyfriend allegedly hid the child for months from authorities.
Ryan Jones has legal custody of the child and led the search for his missing boy since August. The family created a “Help Bring Braedence Home” Facebook page to coordinate search efforts and to get the word out about the boy.
According to the Camden County Sherriff’s Office Website, a tip from the United States Marshals Service Midwest Violent Fugitive Task Force allowed local law enforcement to obtain a warrant to search for Braedence in a home in a neighboring county.
The child – found hidden in an attic crawl space nailed shut and concealed – was discovered with his mother, who was hiding from law enforcement in the same attic. She was immediately arrested. Her boyfriend, Woodrow Ziegler, a known felon, was court ordered not to be near the child. He too was arrested the same day of the search in connection to the abduction. Other charges are pending against both.
Braedence is home safe, and his family and friends are rejoicing.
Ryan and his girlfriend, Breanne Dominguez, shared their joy on Facebook.
“Our little boy is home! God is so good! Thank you all for the prayers, shared (sic) phone calls and etc. We don’t know how to thank everyone enough. Our hearts are so full of joy atm. Just thank you, everyone,” wrote Breanne.
A GoFundMe campaign is actively going to raise funds to recoup search-related expenses for the family and to cover any counseling costs for Braedence soon. We can join in the celebration this young boy is home but continue to pray for all those involved. May they heal and fully recover from this traumatic experience.
