Serialously with Annie Elise - 82: Doomsday Family in AZ Abducts Teen Son They Believe is Chosen of God & Flee to Idaho and Canada?!

Episode Date: October 27, 2023

What is in the water in Idaho? Today’s case is brand new and happening right now, spanning across Arizona, Idaho and now even Canada. A Doomsday family from Arizona, who was last seen in Idaho, is with their teen son who they believe is the chosen one of God and going to assist with the Second Coming. It is VERY reminiscent of the Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case, but this time - there is no prophet or chosen one, well- at least he doesn't think he is. Follow the podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serialouslypod/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/annieelise All Social Media Links: https://www.flowcode.com/page/annieelise_ SERIALously FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/SERIALouslyAnnieElise/ About Me: https://annieelise.com/ For Business Inquiries: [e-mail] Sources: East Idaho News Daily Mail Fox Full Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1HyIYCcZ7Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPQix5VQmiY

Hey true crime besties, welcome back to an all new episode of Serialistly with me, Annie, your true crime bestie. And I am here to break down a wild case happening right now, actually, for all of you guys. Now, I'm recording this one kind of off the cuff because it's happening in real time and I felt like I just needed to jump on here, share it with you so we can get as much awareness out there as possible, spread the word because this is a wild one. Let me start by asking what the heck is in the water in Idaho? Like I mentioned, this case is happening right now. It's brand new and it is spanning across Arizona, Idaho, and now even possibly Canada. A doomsday family from Arizona who was last seen in Idaho there isn't some man who is a prophet or the chosen one that everybody's flocking to and following.

Well, correction, at least he doesn't think he is. It is very disturbing and dangerous and, once again, is showing us the true danger that comes from the extremists who are coming out of the LDS faith. Again, that is not to say that all people, all members, all believers in the LDS community are like this. It is a very niche group of people who are extremists, who read Visions of Glory, follow Julie Rowe, all of the things. And this is just, unfortunately, another clear illustration of how scary that can become. So let's jump right into it, guys, because in a

truly bizarre and unsettling chain of events, this Arizona family is now desperately trying to find their missing loved ones who have seemingly vanished into thin air. This whole situation started when they suddenly splurged on a ton of survival gear, then hopped on a plane to Idaho, and then went completely off the grid. Now the wild part? They are convinced that the second coming of Jesus Christ is right around the corner. Now at the heart of this mysterious story in today's case is a 16-year-old boy named Blaze Thibodeau. But the thing is, Blaze is legally supposed to be with his dad, and no one knows what is going on with him. His dad, Ben, is very seriously worried because Blaze has now gone missing, and things are not looking

good. Blaze has now been officially reported as missing, and it's raising alarm bells for his father, Ben, for very specific reasons. The family's concerns extend beyond just Blaze's absence. They fear for his safety. Now here's the deal. Some members of the family believe that Blaze is like a chosen one, a special Davidic servant who's got this in on his part in all of this. But now here's where it gets even weirder. Blaze's mom, Spring, and his 23-year-old sister, Abby, and his uncle, Brooke, are all part of this bizarre situation. And guess what? No one in the family has any clue where they are, and they've also stopped talking to everyone since Monday, October 23rd, leaving a trail of unanswered questions behind. The even greater concern is the fact that Blaze is legally required to be returned to his father, yet his location remains a mystery. So this odd story isn't just out of the blue either. It goes back to Blaze's mother Spring's growing fascination with religious topics that are all related to the end of the world

this fascination which started in 2015 at the time she and her husband ben were regulars at the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints but as spring dove deeper into books about the second coming she also got into some energy healing stuff which all kind of just set off these weird alarm bells for ben ben was kind of just like off these weird alarm bells for Ben. Ben was kind of just like, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. He even talked to their church leader, their bishop, I believe, who basically told Spring to quit it if she wanted her marriage to survive. Because you see, the church doesn't really dig practices like energy healing. The church's handbook discourages members from participating in such practices, emphasizing the importance of prayer and priesthood blessings instead. So according to Ben, Spring started spending a significant amount of

money on food prep. She was buying a lot of winter gear, even though they lived in Arizona, which is hot and sunny. She was buying tents. She was convinced that the saints would have to gather their last days in the mountains, and she was preparing for that. So after talking to their church bishop, Spring did back off for a bit, but her interest just would not quit. She started saying that she was having these dreams, and then about two and a half years ago, she even got her daughter, Abby, in on it. Abby started having end-of-the-world dreams too, and both of them felt this urgent need to start stocking up on emergency supplies. Then there's Brooke, Springs' brother, who lived in Provo, Utah. He was also super into the end of

the world teachings. So the three of them, Spring, Abby, and Brooke, would talk for hours every single day all about the end of times, the second coming, end of the world, all of it. Just very like Lori Vallow and Alex Cox to the max, like the ultimate. You got this brother-sister duo who believe in the end of times, now they're roping their children into it. Make it make sense. So in April, Spring actually had asked her husband Ben if they could live apart, and he agreed. But even when they were separated, they would still have family dinners and they would go to church together. And their relationship was actually pretty good and not super rocky, so Ben ended up moving back in with his wife in October of this year.

So as the story unfolds, another thread begins to emerge with Brayden Snarr. He's the man who married Spring's daughter Abby. Brayden grew up in Ammon and married Abby in June of 2021. About six months into their marriage, Abby started havingayden grew up in Ammon and married Abby in June of 2021. About six months into their marriage, Abby started having those dreams about the last days, and she confided in her new husband about those dreams. And Brayden initially supported her and thought that it was a good idea to be prepared for whatever came their way, whether it was a tragic event, you know, countries at war, whatever it may be. So this dream prompted the couple to embark on a significant undertaking, purchasing two years worth of food storage as a form of preparedness.

Which again, you see, Brayden was cool with being prepared for emergencies. That's what he envisioned it as. But things then took a very strange turn. Abby got deeper and deeper into it, watching videos of pastors predicting the end of the world and also talking to her mom and her uncle about it all the time. Then, earlier this year, she even asked her husband Brayden if he would be willing to leave their home if things got super bad. Now, at first, Brayden thought it was just kind of a hypothetical thing, a hypothetical question, like if they were in danger from another country or if there was another life-threatening situation. So he said, yeah, of course, if something happens, like, I'm down to leave, I'm down to go. However, Abby's beliefs continued to evolve and intensify, and as Abby's

beliefs got more intense, on Monday morning, she dropped a bombshell to Brayden, saying it's time to go. Brayden was at work when Abby called him in a panic, saying that he needed to come home immediately and take her to the hospital. So he rushed home, thinking that there was some sort of medical emergency. But there wasn't. Instead, he found that their ring doorbell camera had been removed, and Abby was frantically packing suitcases. Their apartment was a complete mess, with hunting and camping gear all over the place. Abby had even bought a bunch of new stuff from a sporting goods store. These, you know, heavy-duty boots, things to stay in the cold, all sorts of things.

She was freaking out, saying they needed to leave, and Brayden was completely baffled. She was telling him how they had to get to the airport right away, and Brayden just stood back, really trying to comprehend the entire situation. She told him that they had to get to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, ASAP, because they had flights booked for Boise, Idaho. Her uncle was then going to pick them up from the airport, but when Brayden asked what they were headed to do after that, Abby wouldn't tell him. He was totally confused and obviously rightfully so pretty upset about the whole situation. So extremely overwhelmed, Brayden walked outside and went to his car and that's when he encountered Spring and Blaze. They were approaching the house and meanwhile Abby was loading all of the suitcases into the car and they were getting

prepared to leave for the airport. So as the situation started to escalate, Braden actually ended up receiving a call from Abby's uncle, Brooke, who was reading him scriptures, tried to convince him to board the flight, and Brooke was emphasizing that Braden was an essential part of their plans and that he would ultimately receive a witness after the trial of his faith. In essence, Braden was urged to trust in God's plan and accept his role as one of the chosen few. Brayden said to East Idaho News, he was basically telling me that I will receive a witness after the trial of my faith and to trust God and that I'm part of this with them and it's supposed to be the five of us. So in a state of absolute emotional turmoil, Brayden grappled with the complex mix of love and logic. Now Brayden loves Abby a ton.

She is the love of his life, and he would never want to leave her. But hearing her say, it's time to go, and I'm not coming back, hit him really hard. He felt torn between his love for her and the fact that none of this made any sense logically. In his heart, he knew that he couldn't just up and leave like that. The world wasn't stopping, no matter what Abby believed. So desperate messages were exchanged between the two of them, with Brayden attempting to reason with Abby, emphasizing the illogical nature of their plans. But Abby's response was detached, and she simply said, I love message, communication ceased completely and abruptly. The messages just stopped.

Desperate and conflicted, Braden reached out to his father in Utah, requesting for him to fly to Arizona to be there for support and companionship so that he wouldn't be alone through all of this. Now take a listen to this interview that Brayden did with Nate Eaton of East Idaho News, and I'm going to link the full interview in the show notes below. The moment I was just baffled. Over the last year and a half, I know that my wife, my mother-in-law, and her uncle had been having dreams and witnesses that, you know, the end times are near, that Jesus is going to come again, which is a foundational belief that I have as a Christian. And as things have been happening, I could see in the world that, you know, it's not a great place. But never did I ever expect this to happen. My wife, six or so months ago, mentioned to me, she was like, Brayden, if there was ever a time that we needed to go, would you be or our lives were in jeopardy, I would obviously not be in Phoenix and in my apartment.

I would leave thinking that's what she meant by that. But Monday morning was a complete shock to me as she told me that it was time to go. But do you think that your wife, had she had more extreme beliefs about this in recent months or years? Or was this kind of all of a sudden she's saying this to you? It was gradual, but over time it started to get more and more, for lack of a better term, radical. It started to get more deep. She connected with a bunch of different individuals. I don't know if she actually had talked to them, but had watched a bunch of different individuals. I don't know if she actually had talked to them, but had watched a bunch of different individuals, evangelical pastors throughout the country that were

prophesying or were having dreams and witnesses of the second coming being nigh or near. And I think through those videos, through frequent communication with her mother and her uncle. And it just over time, it's continued to start spiraling down and down to the point where we Monday morning, she said, it's time to go. You go home to your wife. I presume that you're married. I love her. She's loved my life. And she comes in and says, it's time to go.

And I'm not coming back it's one of those experiences where part of you is just like I can't let you go I I have to go with you even if it makes no logical sense because that's that's who you love it's everything that I have she's the only person I spend time with but deep down inside of me I knew knew that this, this couldn't be, uh, that the world is going to continue to keep spinning. We can't leave what we have here in Phoenix. Uh, and whatever comes from this, I have to, I have to be here. Um, you, in that moment, I said, take whatever you want, whatever you need, you can go, but I can't, I can't go. I had sent her a few text messages, uh, just saying, I love you. Uh, I, I, I can't believe this is happening.

Like, what, what are we doing? What are you doing? You know, there's consequences to this. Like they're going to find you. Uh, and she adamantly kept sending text messages back saying, please pray about this. You need to come with me. I love you. Please be here. Uh, it's not too late. You need to come with me. I love you. Please be here. It's not too late. You can still make it to the airport. In that time frame,

I had called my father and flew him out from Utah here to be with me since I was alone. And I said, I told her, I said, my dad's on his way. And she sent a, the last text message I got from her was the word. Okay. With a red heart. After I said that flew my dog, my dad out here. And when was that? Was that Monday? That was Monday, probably around 1130, 1140 in the morning. So where do you think they are and what do you think they're doing? I don't know. What I gathered from her was that they were going to land in Boise and that they were going to go to a disclosed location. When she was packing, she adamantly told me that she needed her passport and I took her passport out of our fireproof bag where we keep all of our documents. So that clue to my mind that maybe

they're trying to go to Canada. The stuff that she purchased at the sporting goods store were all heavy winter gear, heavy wool socks, heavy hunting, insulated boots, thick hunting backpacks and stuff of that nature. And so if my guess would be if they didn't go try to go to Canada, they're somewhere in the mountains really, really remote. I believe that their purpose is just to try to wait this out. They're thinking that events are going to be happening soon and that they needed to be away for safety. In case they see this, what would you say to them?

I would tell them that I love them, that I know faith and conviction is a very, very powerful thing. And sometimes we can get pulled out of what reality is. But the biggest thing that we need and our family needs is them home safe. If we can get them home safe, we can work through everything else. But safety is the most important thing. And I just want them to know that I love them and we're going to find them. We need them home. Now, meanwhile, as all of this was going down

and Spring, her daughter Abby, the Uncle Brooke and Blaze were headed to the airport, it was all unbeknownst to Blaze's father, Ben. Ben was at work. He had no idea any of this was going down. Then he received a phone call from Brayden with that really bad news. Brayden said to Ben, our worst nightmares have come true. And Ben was like, what?

What are you talking about? So Brayden said, they've left. They're gone. Ben was shocked by this and asked, who's gone? Who's left? And Braden told him, Abby, Blaze, and Spring. Ben was left in complete shock, really struggling to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. Ben tried calling his son, his wife, his daughter, and his brother-in-law, but nobody answered. Then the situation escalated more on Tuesday,

when an Arizona judge issued an emergency order mandating Blaze's immediate return to his father, who is now temporarily granted sole custody. Ben was super worried, and his anxiety reached completely new heights as he uncovered further unnerving details. Brooke, his brother-in-law, had written a two-and-a-half page last will and testament. This letter was written to his children. He had also withdrawn approximately $50,000 in cash and then distributed his assets among his children. In his letter, he talked about his faith and his beliefs in Jesus Christ

and that he wasn't sure where he was going to but that he would see his kids again, saying, if you are reading this right now, it means that I am gone. I don't know where I am going to but that he would see his kids again saying if you are reading this right now it means that I am gone I don't know where I am going I was not told you will not see me for some time how long I do not know but I will see you again so Ben obviously found the letter really concerning and he knew that something was seriously wrong okay so this is where this case gets even more disturbing and outright potentially very dangerous. You see, Blaze wasn't buying into any of this. Unlike his mom, his sister, and his uncle, he didn't believe any of the teachings, the second coming, the prophecies that they were so adamantly believing in. He was just your typical teenager. He was more into hanging out with his

friends, being on his cell phone, just hanging out and your typical teenager. He was more into hanging out with his friends, being on his cell phone, just hanging out and doing typical teenager things more than thinking about the end of the world. He was also super into football, and he worked really hard to make it onto the team. They also still have games left in the season, so there's no way that he would just up and leave for no reason. So what was happening here? Well, as it turns out, he didn't know that the plan was to flee Arizona, go to Idaho, and then wait for the second coming. He was under the impression that this was all a surprise vacation for his 17th birthday. Unbeknownst to him what the true plans were of his mother, his sister, and his uncle, he went with them under the guise that they were going on a family vacation to celebrate his birthday. And then they vanished and they were off the grid.

Now, according to Ben, Blaze's father, they see him as a Davidic servant, a 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. Now usually when we have somebody peddling that they are the prophet, the chosen one, people follow suit. They believe them because they're selling that they're the prophet. But in this case, Blaise doesn't think that he is the chosen one. He doesn't even believe in all of that stuff. But they think that he is. So did they abduct him against his will because they believe that they need him for

whatever master plan is to come? Blaze's father Ben told East Idaho News, 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. Again, in enters Lori Vallow, Alex Cox, Chad Daybell to the chat. It's like they all read the same scripture, this Julie Roe chick, the visions of God, visions of glory, whatever it is, all of these things, and just become brainwashed or so extreme and obsessed and radical with their beliefs that you are on the cusp of potentially harming a child. It is very, very scary. So Ben flew to Idaho to figure out what the heck was going on and then contacted the Boise, Idaho police. Surveillance footage showed

that Blaze, Spring, and Abby had landed at the Boise airport on Monday. They all got into a white Lexus SUV, which had pink tow hooks on the front and a dealer plate on the back. This vehicle was ready for off-roading, with big 33-inch tires and a lift, which made it clear that they were still on their move, and they weren't planning on parking up in some remote place. Ben tried calling Abby and Brooke, but their phones again went straight to voicemail. Spring's phone also seemed to have been disconnected entirely. Now, this made sense considering all of the heavy gear and the supplies that Abby had bought, probably to be ready for whatever they thought was coming and to wait out any end-of-the-world events that they believed were going to take place.

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the Gilbert Police Department began investigating the case as an alleged custodial interference case. Because really, there isn't much more they can legally do with the case. It's not like any laws were broken or like a family can't just move or leave on their own accord. However, if they interfered with custody, then that's at least grounds for something. As for Ben, he's not sure how long he's going to stay in Idaho. He bought a one-way ticket, but he has other kids and a job back in Arizona, so things are pretty up in the air. He needs a resolution, and he needs it fast. Here is what Blaze's father, Ben, had to say to Nate Eaton of East Idaho News, and I'm going to link the full interview in the show notes below. My wife brought my daughter into this about two and a half years ago,

and they started having dreams, and they started sharing dreams, and both felt like they had the gift to interpret dreams. They brought my brother-in-law into this about a year and a half ago when he was going through a pretty significant crisis in his own marriage. And he just has taken it and run with it. Okay. So when she took off though, were you surprised that she took it this far or was it kind of uh well you know that's kind of along the path she was going when she was into the julie roe stuff she started spending significant amount of money on food prep she was buying a lot of winter gear even though we live in arizona she was buying tents um she was convinced that um that the saints would have to gather in the last days up into the mountains and she was preparing for that i um i thought there was

a possibility that she could eventually leave and take off with another group i i'm totally um surprised that she took my son blaze and I'm even more concerned because blaze has never subscribed to any of this. He is not, he, he, he is in no way a supporter of anything she's ever believed. Um, he is your prototypical teenager that all he wants to do is hang out with friends and be on his phone. He's an athlete. He's on the football team. He's worked so hard to be on that football team. They still have games left this season. There's no way that he would have gone along with this.

So they've coerced him, possibly sedated him. He's probably maybe been threatened. So I'm very concerned about that piece that my son is um in danger and his uncle maybe is it could be at the aggressor in this if things don't go the right way you're still married to spring right i'm still married to her um there was a a petition filed for a disillusion last week, um, between her and I, um, she's been wanting to divorce me, but she, she did not want to be the one to file because it's public record in Arizona. So, um, we had, we had been separated, um, living at different locations in the same city. But as strange as it sounds, we've had a great relationship recently. Without saying too much, the best relationship you could have is a married couple.

We've been getting along. But the amount of time she spent talking to Abby and Brooke on the phone, the frequency, we're talking hours a day, multiple times a day for the last year and a half. And I would periodically check my AT&T phone records. They were always talking to each other morning, midday, night. Because of the petition for disillusion that I had filed, I was able to get an emergency motion from a judge from the Superior Court of Arizona issuing an order to return Blaze to me immediately and invoking the ability for law enforcement to get involved, to locate him and return him to me as the sole custody parent right now. So that order is in effect as of the 24th that was issued by the judge. I've been working with Gilbert police, filed a missing child report. His name's been entered into the NCIC and we're working on a

few other things like an Amber Alert and some other things to to get federal law enforcement involved as well. Okay so you have sole custody of him and your your ex or not your ex your wife she knows about the the temporary custody that the judge issued? No because they left on Monday. Oh okay and that was issued the day they left or the day after. It was issued on Tuesday. We got the ruling from the judge. I contacted Boise police Monday night and they routed me to the police that was assigned to the airport. And they were able to pull video footage and they saw Abby, my daughter, my wife and Blaze come off of the airplane and leave the airport and get into the white SUV that Brooke is driving.

They did see a phone in Abby's hand. So I think Abby has her phone. I think Brooke has his phone. But in an exchange message we were privy to on another device, Abby mentioned that Spring doesn't have her phone. And that Brooke was instructing Abby to keep Blaze away from her phone and make sure he didn't know any passwords to her phone. So they're completely off the grid in terms of communicating with us. But I think they have phones, Brooke and Abby. Why, why Idaho? Or do you think there's they've gone elsewhere, you know, flown into Boise and then gone somewhere else?

I think I think they may have gone into Oregon, but I think they're staying close to Idaho. I don't know why Idaho. I remember years ago, my wife, when she was into Julie Rowe stuff, I think Julie had mentioned something about Idaho being a safe place to gather, but I don't know. I don't know why Idaho. would try to get away or call for help or if he's in the mental state to do so you know if they you mentioned that they might have drugged him or something I mean is your son or is he going to try to get along with him no he would say this is stupid get me out of here I'm not doing this anymore I'm sure they have to restrain him if they go anywhere to a public space. I'm positive of that. And I mean that, that, that, that, that Brooke would probably do that in potentially Abby. So absolutely. I think blaze would, would want to get away. Absolutely.

No doubt in my mind. Look, I have five children. So Blaze is wrapped up into this. Abby, my daughter, is wrapped up into this. I have a son on a mission in Africa right now. I have two daughters. I'm just trying to stay strong for them, obviously. But it's hard. It's I'm just trying to stay strong for for them, obviously. But it's hard. It's really hard. It's really hard.

Ben, who is the main police agency? Are you working with Gilbert, Boise, both? I came to Boise because I thought I could work directly with them, but they were unwilling to assist and were not able to help me. So I went and was able to get Gilbert Police involved. And they're the main agency right now. They have a detective assigned to this. Okay. And how long do you plan to stay in Idaho? I don't know. I bought a one-way ticket here. I don't know. I mean, I have a full-time job back home but

i'm willing to to lose that job to stay i don't know i don't know i don't know yeah yeah i don't know we have information that they at least brooke and abby were planning this potentially as on Sunday. My son actually went to school on Monday and my wife pulled him out at 10 a.m. ish. So I think my wife left in haste. But yeah, there's no way he's going along with this. There's absolutely positively no way. I know my son and so do my children. There's no way he's doing this on his own free will. Now, all of this weirdness aside, it's important to remember that the people involved in this situation are at heart kind and loving. Ben was even quoted saying they're all good people.

They're all wonderful people. But getting into these dark topics has really corrupted them in a really horrible way. But they are genuinely just loving, kind people. Really, there's no saying what somebody is capableed onto you to where they become your beliefs. He's adamant. These are kind, good people. Their descent into these strange beliefs has left their family deeply worried and searching for a way out of this bizarre situation. Are there any areas, Ben, where you guys are focused on maybe a search? I know you're out doing your own investigating and sleuth work here in Idaho, but any areas that you want to make the public aware of, at least Oregon. I think that's, um, that's where we feel right now, like things could be, uh, where things could be going on. What in case your wife should see this or your son or your brother-in-law, what do you say to

them? What would you say to them? Just come back. We love you. Nothing is going to change about any of our relationships with you. It's never too late to just say, you know what, maybe we made a mistake. We're not going to judge you. We want to help you and support you heal. And there's no anger or hate. We just want you back and safe and we want to be with you. So now, as it stands, the family has been living off of that $50,000 plus approximately $4,000 that Abby had taken with her. There have been no signs of activity on their credit cards or bank accounts, which just makes things even more mysterious. The family is appealing to the public for assistance in locating Blaze and anyone with information on his The family is appealing to the public for assistance in

locating Blaze, and anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Gilbert Police Department at 480-503-6500 and please reference report number 23-161023. The family's journey through this perplexing and unsettling ordeal continues With the safety and well-being of Blaze at the forefront of their concerns Blaze is 16 years old He's around 180 pounds and he stands at 6 feet 2 inches He has light brown hair and green blue eyes Please share this podcast and this video with everyone you can

So that hopefully this family and blaze are found safe and blaze can be reunited with his father thank you guys so much for tuning in to today's episode of serialously i will keep you updated on this case as it continues to unfold as a reminder it is way easier for me to give updates over on my instagram which is at underscore annie elise or over on my youtube channel which is 10 to life 10 to life i will link everything in the show notes below all right guys thank you again and i will be speaking with you very soon but for now i am signing off take care bye Thank you. you