A 16-year-old boy has been reported missing, and his father believes he was “abducted” by his doomsday-believing mother.
Blaze Thibaudeau is believed to have been taken out of Arizona by his mother, Spring Thibaudeau, to Idaho and left with two other family members, the Gilbert Police Department announced on Friday.
The teenager’s father, Ben Thibaudeau, spoke in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com, saying he fears his wife has taken his son as they allegedly believe that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is approaching.
“They see him as a Davidic servant [chosen individual] who plays a significant role in the Savior’s return. 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,” Mr Thibaudeau told the news organisation.
“I fear for his safety, especially if my son is contentious, rebellious or belligerent. I fear that my brother-in-law would restrain him or do something that would incapacitate him.”
The concerned father said that the two other family members that have accompanied them are is 23-year-old daughter, Abi Snarr and his wife’s brother, Brooke Hale.
The father has been working with Idaho law enforcement, who showed him surveillance footage of the four landing at Boise Airport on Monday.
They were spotted in a white Lexus SUV with pink tow hooks on the front driven by Mr Hale, and has been modified with 33-inch tires and a lift, the father said, speculating they have outfitted the vehicle to go into a mountainous region.
Mr Thibaudeau told the website he had received “credible information” that the four have used their passports to enter Canada.
His wife allegedly became interested in doomsday religious theories back in 2015.
In Christianity, doomsday is the belief that on the last day of the world, God will come and judge everyone, with some believing that the apocalypse will happen.
In a similar theory, the Second Coming of Christ varies in its versions, but it is the belief that Jesus will come back to Earth to set up a kingdom, with some also linking it to the judgment of his “enemies,” according to a definition by Britannica.
The couple regularly attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, but Mr Thibaudeau became concerned when his wife started obsessing over texts about the Second Coming.
She started to spend huge amounts on food preparations, winter gear and tents, telling him that she needed to go to the “mountains” for the ‘“last days”, Mr Thibaudeau told the website.
Before long, his daughter, Ms Snarr and his brother-in-law also started to become invested in the Second Coming, too; his daughter and wife also claimed they were having dreams about stocking up for the “last days”.
Ben Thibaudeau believes his son was taken up into mountains in Canada for the “last days” on earth— (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
He moved out of his home in April but moved back at the start of October, as he thought that his family situation was getting better.
Ms Snarr’s husband, Brayden Snarr, also told the outlet he was becoming increasingly concerned for his wife, who tried to get him to come with them to Idaho.
Mr Thibaudeau and his son-in-law both said that the family has cut off all communication and have not heard from them since they left.
Blaze’s family believes his mother checked him out of school and told him he was going on a trip for his birthday.
Gilbert Police Department called this missing persons case an “alleged custodial interference,” with Mr Thibaudeau telling the outlet that he is the temporary sole custody parent of the teen.
The police department urges anyone with information on Blaze’s whereabouts to contact them immediately.
