4 children recovered in Florida after abduction by Michigan father

Federal officials say they found four children in Riviera Beach who were abducted by their noncustodial Michigan father.

According to a press release, the U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Michigan, which partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Florida Regional Task Force, found the children on Thursday, Sept. 15, in the cab of a semi-truck driven by Joses Braxton.

Officials say the children range in ages from 3 to 10.

“The Marshals Service is dedicated to helping recover critically missing and endangered children,” U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Michigan Owen M. Cypher said in a statement. “I’m especially proud of the dedication and tenacity displayed by our investigators, as well as the speed at which they acted to ensure the safe recovery of these kids.”

Officials say Braxton was wanted on a felony warrant for parental kidnapping in Saginaw County. Federal investigators began working on the case with Michigan State Police to look for Braxton, whom they believed would lead them to the missing child.

An investigation in September 2021 revealed that Braxton took three other children, whom he fathered with a different woman.

Investigators located Braxton in the 100 block of North Congress Avenue in Riviera Beach. Members of the Florida Regional Task Force spotted him leaving a nearby Walmart and took him into custody.

The children were found in the semi-truck in the parking lot, according to a press release.

Officials say USMS coordinated with MSP’s Missing Child Clearing House to arrange child protective custody for temporary custody of the children pending reunification.