The father of a 16-year-old Arizona boy “kidnapped” by his doomsday-obsessed mother because she believed he was the key to the Second Coming has asked an Alaska judge for leniency — telling him she spiritual beliefs “a little too much.” far.’
Ben Thibaudeau flew to Fairbanks, Alaska, to reunite with his son Blaze after his estranged wife Spring Thibaudeau was arrested at the Alcan Port of Entry last week — along with her brother Brook Hale.
She is being held in a Fairbanks jail on $500,000 bond. Both she and her brother are charged with custodial interference and are awaiting extradition to Arizona to face criminal charges.
Ben was allowed to speak with the judge in the Spring case by telephone.
“She’s a very spiritual person, but she just went a little too far,” he said in a recording of the conversation. ‘She assumes the end of the world would happen this weekend, and that’s clearly not the case. So they all realize they have to go back and reassess the things they’ve read.”
But the judge expressed concern and declared her beliefs about the end of the world were “delusional” – and refused to lower her $500,000 bail. ABC15 reported.
Pictured: Ben Thibaudeau, who filed for divorce, flew to Fairbanks to reunite with their son Blaze, 16, who was allegedly kidnapped by their mother, Spring Thibaudeau
Spring Thibaudeau (photo) becomes obsessed with the Second Coming of Christ. She faces charges of interfering with custody and is being held on a $500,000 bond
Blaze Thibaudeau, 16, was taken to the Alaska-Canada border by his religiously fanatical mother. He was found safe by state troopers on Friday, along with his 23-year-old sister, Abigail Snarr.
The judge told Spring’s husband: “Whether spiritually or organically based, she took extreme action to illegally remove the child from Arizona.”
State troopers on Friday found Blaze and his sister Abigail Snarr, 23, at the Alcan Port of Entry near the Alaska-Canada border.
The story began on October 27 when Ben reported his son missing.
The concerned father had been given temporary sole custody. He said his estranged wife recently purchased thousands of dollars worth of survival gear and cut off all communication because she believes their son was chosen by God.
He told East Idaho News, “They see him as a Davidic servant (chosen one) who plays an important role in the Savior’s return.
“They felt they should take him to a secret location where he would receive his calling and understand his role in the Second Coming.
‘I fear for his safety, especially if my son is controversial, rebellious or combative. I’m afraid my brother-in-law will restrain him or do something that will incapacitate him.”
Snarr’s husband Brayden said his wife and her uncle tried to convince him to come with them to Idaho and even bought him a plane ticket to Boise Airport.
Last Monday she called him and said she had to go to the hospital. But when he returned to their home in Gilbert, he found her packing and chatting about the Second Coming.
He told the outlet, “The apartment was a mess. She had gone to Sportsman’s Warehouse to buy a lot of hunting and camping gear. And in complete shock, she told me it was time to leave and that I had to come with her.”
Abi told her husband she had purchased flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Idaho, where her uncle would be ready to greet them.
He also explained how he initially agreed to his wife’s bizarre claims and even stocked up on food for two years.
He said, “I felt comfortable with it because I think preparedness is something we should strive for.
“But over time it started to become, for lack of a better term, more and more radical. It started to deepen and she came into contact with a number of different individuals with similar beliefs.”
The family is members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, but Blaze “is not in any way a supporter” of his mother’s beliefs, his father said.
He revealed that the family would talk about the Second Coming for hours and that Abi even questioned him about leaving their home if necessary.
“My response to her was, yes, if we were invaded by another country or our lives were in danger, I obviously wouldn’t be in my apartment in Phoenix. I’d leave, assuming that’s what she meant.
“But her beliefs kept going down and down, to the point where on Monday morning she said, ‘It’s time to go.’
After discovering she was gone, he informed Blaze’s father that their “worst nightmare” had come true.
Ben, the vice president of international sales at wellness company Plexus Worldwide, said his wife had drawn their daughter into her obsession with end-of-the-day conspiracies, which led to Snarr beginning to stockpile medical supplies.
About his wife, he added: “She started spending a significant amount of money on preparing food.
“She bought a lot of winter stuff, even though we live in Arizona. She was buying tents. She was convinced that the Saints would have to gather high in the mountains in the last days, and she prepared for that.”
The family was members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, but Spring’s religious fanaticism grew when she began attending energy healing sessions.
The mother of two began having dreams about the end of the world, which she considered prophecies.
At the same time, Hale wrote a two-page “last will and testament” to his children, withdrew $50,000 in cash and began dividing his assets.
Ben feared his wife’s brother could become aggressive, adding: ‘I am very concerned that my son is in danger and that his uncle could be the aggressor if things don’t go in the right direction.’
Blaze was discovered with his sister Abi (left) and his uncle Brooke Hale (right), Spring’s brother
Blaze’s father described him as “a typical teenager, and all he wants to do is hang out with friends and be on the phone,” and said his son worked hard to get a spot on his high school’s football team and would never leave with games. has yet to be played
He added that his son had never shown any interest in his mother’s conspiracies and that he did not believe he would have gone willingly.
It is thought that Spring expelled him from school because he was taken on a birthday trip.
“He is in no way an advocate of anything she has ever believed in,” he said.
“He’s a typical teenager, and all he wants to do is hang out with friends and talk on the phone. He’s on the football team and he worked so hard to be on that football team. There are still games to go this season. There’s no way he would have gone along with that.’
The alleged kidnapping took place after Blaze’s parents decided to separate. However, they still had dinner and church as a family.
It bears eerie similarities to the behavior of Lori Vallow, mother of the “Doomsday cult,” who was obsessed with the apocalypse and moved her children upstate to be with religious fantasist Chad Daybell.