Key Takeaways
- Dane Stephen Richman, a 46‑year‑old Saratoga Springs resident, abducted his two young sons (10‑month‑old Wesley and 22‑month‑old Will) during a scheduled visitation and fled toward Mexico.
- An Amber Alert was issued after Richman missed a custody hearing, failed to return the children, and his home appeared vacant; investigators believe he had been planning the abduction for weeks.
- Financial strain, a pending mortgage foreclosure, quitting his job, and ongoing custody disputes with the children’s mother are cited as motives.
- Surveillance and cell‑phone data placed Richman’s black 2025 Toyota Camry in Carlsbad, California, and later showed it crossing into Mexico on May 19.
- Richman faces two counts of custodial interference (third‑degree felony) and remains at large; authorities are coordinating with Mexican law enforcement to locate him and the boys.
Saratoga Springs police launched a weekend Amber Alert after Dane Stephen Richman failed to appear for a custody hearing and did not return his two sons to their mother. The boys—Wesley, 10 months old, and Will, 22 months old—were last seen with their father on May 16 when he picked them up from their mother in Washington state for his scheduled visitation. Richman’s failure to show up for a Friday morning deposition prompted the mother to request a welfare check. Officers visited Richman’s Saratoga Springs residence but found it empty; the home’s exterior appeared vacant, raising early concerns.
When the mother arrived at noon on Saturday to collect the children and discovered Richman absent, she contacted police again at 12:35 p.m. Investigators began canvassing neighbors and learned that no friends, family, or contacts had been able to reach Richman. An arrest warrant later noted that “no friends, family or other contacts have been able to reach Dane, including the police department attempts.”
Further probing revealed that Richman’s black 2025 Toyota Camry had received service in Carlsbad, California—about 50 miles north of the U.S.–Mexico border—on Monday, May 18. Surveillance images captured Richman in Southern California, and his cellphone’s last known ping placed him near the Mexican border at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. Authorities believe the vehicle crossed into Mexico later that day.
The Amber Alert was disseminated statewide via digital highway signs and cellphone alerts on late Saturday and early Sunday. By Sunday night, a warrant for Richman’s arrest had been issued. Court documents describe a dire financial situation: Richman was “upside down” on his mortgage after taking out an additional home‑equity line of credit, and he had unexpectedly quit his position at Fibertel LLC on May 11. His former supervisor reported that Richman cited ongoing legal battles with his ex‑girlfriend over custody as the reason for leaving work, noting that he had become increasingly unreliable and erratic over the previous six months.
Investigators contend that Richman’s financial distress, the looming foreclosure of his home, and his expressed comfort with living “off the grid”—including possession of a satellite phone—indicate that the abduction was not spontaneous but possibly planned weeks in advance. A neighbor told police that Richman owned a satellite phone, and family members described him as confident about surviving without conventional utilities or services.
Richman is described as 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing approximately 195 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The children’s descriptions are as follows: Wesley Dane Richman is 2 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 23 pounds, and has blonde or strawberry‑blond hair with blue eyes; Will Thomas Richman is 2 feet 6 inches tall, weighs roughly 31 pounds, and shares the same hair and eye coloration. Authorities urge anyone with information to call the Saratoga Springs Police Department at 801‑798‑5600 or dial 911 immediately. The Amber Alert has also been shared with Mexican law‑enforcement agencies in hopes of locating the father and his sons before they reach further interior points in Mexico.
The case underscores how a combination of economic pressure, custodial conflict, and behavioral changes can precede a child‑abduction incident, prompting rapid multi‑jurisdictional response efforts. As of the latest update, Richman remains at large, and the search for the two boys continues across the United States and into Mexico.