SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The FBI and Arizona police are asking the public’s help in finding a teenager who, according to his father, may be in danger because of his relatives’ radical end-of-days beliefs.
An FBI missing persons alert says authorities are looking for 16-year-old Blaze Thibaudeau, who was last seen Monday night in Gilbert, Arizona.
The teenager may be with his mother, Spring Thibaudeau, older sister, Abigail Thibaudeau, and uncle, Brooke Hale. They were last known to be traveling in a white 2004 Lexus GX 470 near Boise, Idaho.
The FBI says the group could be en route to Canada, noting they have heavy snow gear with them.
According to East Idaho News, the teen’s father, Ben Thibaudeau, reported his son missing. He said that the boy’s relatives see him as a central figure in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which they believe to be imminent.
“They feel they needed to take him to an undisclosed location where he would receive his calling and understand his role in the Second Coming,” Ben Thibaudeau told the news outlet. “I fear for his safety, especially if my son is contentious, rebellious or belligerent.”
According to other family members, the group of traveling relatives had purchased thousands of dollars worth of survival gear before boarding a plane to Idaho.
The family members, who attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told East Idaho News that some in the traveling group had become deeply interested in end-of-days prophecies over the last several years.
The FBI noted that Spring Thibaudeau, Abigail Thibaudeau and Brooke Hale are not fugitives from the law.
Anyone who sees Blaze Thibaudeau or knows of his whereabouts is asked to call the FBI at 623-466-1999 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
