CLEVELAND — After he was missing for more than a month, the U.S. Marshals found a 13-year-old boy from Bellevue safe in Thousand Palms, California.
Officials say that Dominic Oakes, who was initially reported missing to the Bellevue Police Department on April 4 after he didn't return home from school, was found with his biological mother on Wednesday night.
The U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit had been working alongside the Bellevue Police Department and Huron County Sheriff's Office to find Dominic. While investigating, the USMS and BPD found information that Dominic was in California with his 41-year-old biological mother, identified as Tanya Garcia.
“This case highlights the reach of the USMS Missing Child Unit and shows we will go anywhere to locate and recover our youth in Northern Ohio," said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott. "Without great partnerships with our state and local partners, this case would still be open and unresolved."
The USMS in Riverside, California, alongside the Riverside County Sheriff's Office and Cathedral City Police, took Garcia and Dominic into custody on Wednesday night. Garcia, who is not Dominic's legal guardian, is being charged with interference with custody.
Authorities are currently working on returning Dominic to his legal guardians in Northeast Ohio.
“The Bellevue Police would like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service, the Huron County Sheriff’s Office, the Huron County Prosecutor’s Office, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the Cathedral City Police Department, and other agencies that assisted in this investigation," said Bellevue Police Chief Marc Linder. "We would also like to thank the citizens of Bellevue for being involved with giving tips and information regarding this case.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on May 8, 2023, in an unrelated story.
