In an alarming incident in California, a father and son are accused of kidnapping two U.S. Forest Service employees, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant during a press conference.
Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, along with his son Phoenix Henrichsen, allegedly took the federal workers hostage inside a trailer in a remote area near Mt. Shasta.
In response, the FBI dispatched a hostage negotiator from Quantico, who worked closely with local authorities. Through several hours of negotiation, they successfully facilitated the release of the hostages.
After restraining the hostages with zip ties, the elder Henrichsen insisted on communicating with the FBI, holding them captive in a trailer near Gumboot Lake within the Shasta Trinity National Forest of northern California.
The senior suspect reportedly insisted on FBI contact after binding the two victims. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A Forest Services employee called authorities shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Thursday to notify them of the kidnapping. The FBI secured the release of one of the hostages at 1:50 a.m. on Friday and the second hostage 15 minutes later. The alleged kidnappers surrendered themselves to the FBI at 2:30 a.m.
“I’m grateful beyond words that both of our Forest Service employees taken hostage on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest are home safe,” Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said in a statement.
“This was a frightening experience for everyone involved. Their well-being continues to be our highest priority. We’re staying close to them and their loved ones, making sure they have the support and the space that they need after what they’ve been through,” he concluded.
Schultz said that he was “grateful beyond words” that the employees were safely released and able to reunite with their families. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The FBI does not yet know what the kidnappers’ motivation is or why they requested to speak with the FBI.
“The United States Attorney’s Office intends to charge both men by criminal complaint with kidnapping a federal employee under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(5),” Grant said during a Friday press conference.
News Media contacted the FBI and the US Forest Service for additional comment.