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Left: Molly K. Ottman (LinkedIn). Right: Missing teenager Jarrett Brooks (Navajo County Sheriff’s Office).
The case of a missing Arizona teenager became even more complicated by the actions of a local reporter who allegedly spread false claims about the boy’s parents, prosecutors said.
Molly K. Ottman, 50, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of obstruction of a criminal investigation and fraudulent schemes, according to a press release by the Navajo County Attorney’s Office. The release stated that the charges came down on May 6, in the midst of an investigation into missing teenager, Jarrett Brooks, 18, who was last seen on July 4, 2023 when he was 16 years old.
Ottman, who is employed by the local newspaper Mountain Daily Star, allegedly alerted authorities after the teen went missing that social media posts “alluded to sexual activity between Brian Brooks and a minor child,” per the attorney’s office. Brian Brooks is the father of Jarrett Brooks, and Ottman allegedly told police that a Reddit account posting those messages belonged to the missing boy’s father.
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According to prosecutors, Ottman contacted the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office about the posts in October 2023. Investigators then dedicated their resources to looking into the parents of the missing teen — including a search at the Brooks family home — and a private investigator whom the Brooks’ had employed to help them find their son.
Both the prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s office ultimately determined that it was allegedly Ottman herself who was behind the Reddit posts that she claimed belonged to Brian Brooks, “having created the Reddit account and fraudulent posts.”
Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon stated in the release, “A 16-year-old boy was missing and all of law enforcement’s energy and resources should have been able to remain focused strictly on the search for that young man. Diverting attention, resources and time to fabricated evidence creates unwarranted distractions during time-sensitive investigations.”
The State 48 News, a local, online news outlet, reached out to Ottman who denied the claims, saying, “It’s absolutely untrue. It will be a not guilty plea and it’s absolutely not true.” She also told the outlet that she was still employed by the Mountain Daily Star.
Ottman covered Jarrett Brooks’ disappearance, writing in January 2024, “Social media groups have been very active with speculations about what’s going on with the Jarrett Brooks case.”
She also covered and photographed the Brooks’ home while the search warrant was being carried out.
The Daily Mail spoke to Brian Brooks after Ottman’s indictment was announced, who told the outlet, “We had a sit-down meeting with the sheriff and he has not once said he’s sorry.” He also said that he is still the subject of unfounded internet conspiracy theories.
According to the Daily Mail, the private investigator the Brooks family had employed, Harter Investigations, used to employ Ottman, until she was “let go.”
The Daily Mail noted that Brian Brooks and his wife Laura Brooks, the missing boy’s mother, have previously been convicted of sex crimes. They were accused of engaging in sexual acts in front of teenage babysitters and giving them alcohol to get them to join them, which the teens denied. Brian Brooks was subsequently jailed and lost his job as the local fire chief, while Laura Brooks pleaded guilty to three counts and was also jailed, although her time behind bars was punctuated by weekdays at work.
Jarrett Brooks was last seen on the morning of July 4, 2023. According to prosecutors, he was reported as a runaway after his parents grounded him.
