A father, Jose A. Hernandez Jr., age 25, was arrested after threatening his wife that he would take their kids to Mexico. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, on January 16, 2019, the Idaho State Police notified the Arizona Department of Public Safety about the parental kidnapping.
Nampa Police advised the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) that the kidnapper and his three children were in Arizona and eventually led troopers to the suspect vehicle traveling northbound along US 93 at milepost 142, near Wikieup, Arizona.
At 4:30 p.m., troopers initiated a traffic stop and took Hernandez into custody. Three children, ages 18-months, 3 and 5-years-old were also in the pickup truck along with an 18-year-old woman.
The children were flown by an AZDPS Ranger helicopter and crew to a Kingman hospital where they were evaluated and deemed unharmed. They were turned over to the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
The 18-year-old woman was not a suspect in the case and was released.
Hernandez and the investigation were both turned over to AZDPS detectives. He was booked into the Mohave County Jail on a no-bond felony warrant out of Nampa, Idaho.