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Man Allegedly Hid Girlfriend And Her Son, Who Was Abducted 5 Months Ago, In 'Nailed Shut' Crawlspace
Braedence Jones, 6, went missing five months ago after his mother, Aubrey Ferguson, didn't return him to his father after a visit.
A man allegedly tried to hide his girlfriend and her 6-year-old son, who has been missing for five months, in his crawl space.
On Tuesday afternoon, after acting on a tip, authorities in Missouri executed a search warrant at the home of Woodrow Ziegler, according to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.
There, they found Aubrey Ferguson and her son, Braedence Jones.
“A 5-month search for 6-year-old Braedence Jones has ended,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “Ferguson and her boyfriend were hiding the child in an attic crawl space that had been nailed shut and concealed. Ferguson was with the child in the crawl space when discovered.”
A judge had ordered Ziegler, a felon, to stay away from the child in the past, KTVI in St. Louis reported.
The boy has been returned to his father, Ryan Jones, who is reportedly ecstatic to have his son back.
“It was the first thing we did was give him a big hug and tell him we love him,” Jones told KTVI.
Jones first reported Braedence missing on Aug. 3 after Ferguson allegedly neglected to return him after a weeklong visit, according to the Associated Press. Jones was granted custody of the child after he and Ferguson divorced.
Ferguson, Ziegler and the child were allegedly in hiding for months.
“They were moving around the area, as well as few different counties surrounding Camden County; relatives were assisting,” Camden County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Arlyne Page told KTVI.
Ferguson is being held on a warrant for child abduction. It is not clear what charges Ziegler may be facing. He has, however, been arrested.
[Photo: Camden County Sheriff’s Office]
