Missing, endangered 5-year-old boy found, Bountiful police say

SALT LAKE CITY — The Bountiful Police Department announced on Saturday that an endangered missing 5-year-old boy believed to be with his noncustodial father was found safe.

"Benjamin Despain was taken into custody and booked into the Davis County Correctional Facility on Dec. 6, 2025," police said. "Charges related to custodial interference are pending." The police department also said the missing boy's safety was its top priority. "We are grateful for the swift response from our officers, investigators, partner agencies, and the public," police said. "The safety of the child was our top priority, and we appreciate everyone who assisted in bringing this case to a positive conclusion." This is a breaking news update. KSL's original reporting continues below:

The boy's mother told KSL TV she hadn't seen her son since Tuesday, Dec. 2. The woman's ex-husband, Benjamin Despain, picked up their son on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for a scheduled visitation at her Bountiful home. The mother has sole physical and legal custody of their son, but has a weekly 3-hour visitation arrangement.

The boy's mother said when she went to pick the boy up at around 8:30 p.m. at Despain's Murray house, the pair were nowhere to be seen. Shortly after, the missing boy's mom received an email from Despain stating that he was taking their son “away” to prevent him from having surgery and would be in contact on Friday or Saturday.

The missing boy was scheduled to have adenoid surgery on Thursday. However, according to his mother, Despain “does not like anything medical,” and thinks the surgery is unnecessary.

The boy's mother believed Despain “likely” took their son somewhere out of state. Recently, the mother said Despain told her he wanted to take their son to visit Latter-day Saint church history sites out east and could have traveled in that direction. Police said they also investigated this possibility.

Bountiful Police Lt. Andrew Smith said local law enforcement agencies in Idaho and Montana, where Benjamin has relatives, had been dispatched to look for the pair but didn't find them. Smith added that police were not been able to confirm whether the pair left the state and had not yet obtained leads through license plate reader cameras.

The missing boy's mom was concerned about Despain's mental state, but police said they had no evidence to indicate that the 5-year-old boy was in imminent danger or had suffered bodily harm. Lt. Smith further said an Amber Alert was not issued for this reason. On Wednesday a ex-parte protective order was issued against Despain, but police say they were not been able to serve him, because they hadn't yet located him.

This story is breaking and may be updated.

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