Vancouver boy, 8, missing since June, found in Missouri

An 8-year-old Vancouver boy who was missing since June was found safe Friday in Jasper County, Mo.

According to the FBI, investigators at the Kansas City, Mo., office found Breadson John and placed him in the custody of Missouri’s Department of Social Services. Washington Child Protective Services staff are traveling to Kansas City to bring him back to Washington.

“Breadson’s recovery would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the Vancouver Police Department, FBI Kansas City, and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office,” Special Agent Richard A. Collodi from the FBI’s Seattle Field Office said in a news release. “We are relieved at this outcome and how quickly we were able to resolve it.”

On June 17, Vancouver police officers conducted a welfare check at Breadson’s Vancouver home in connection with a criminal investigation. Community members had reported concerns over the boy’s welfare.

Since then, officers tried to contact several of Breadson’s family members to determine if they knew his whereabouts. Vancouver police said officers were unable to locate the boy, and family members would not provide information about his whereabouts.

In January, the FBI issued a missing person poster for the boy. Investigators were later able to determine he was taken to Missouri in August, the news release states.

In December, investigators filed charges of custodial interference against Breadson’s grandparents, whom Vancouver police say were the boy’s last known guardians and persons of interest in the initial criminal investigation.