An Arizona father has pleaded for his estranged wife to return their son after she allegedly stole him away to Idaho when she became obsessed with the Second Coming of Christ.
Spring Thibaudeau is accused by her husband Ben of abruptly buying thousands of dollars of survival gear and cutting off all communication, snatching their 16-year-old son Blaze across the country believing he has been chosen by God.
Blaze is believed to be with his devoutly religious mother, sister Abi Snarr, 23, and uncle Brooke Hale, however his father believes the teen has been taken against his will and is concerned for his safety.
‘They see him as a Davidic servant (chosen individual) who plays a significant role in the Savior’s return,’ Ben told East Idaho News.
‘They feel they needed to take him to an undisclosed 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 contentious, rebellious or belligerent. I fear that my brother-in-law would restrain him or do something that would incapacitate him,’ he added.
Fears are mounting for the safety of Blaze Thibaudeau, 16 (pictured) after he was allegedly taken to Idaho by his doomsday prophesizing relatives
Spring Thibaudeau allegedly became obsessed by the Second Coming of Christ in 2015, and spiraled into fanatically believing in the apocalypse in recent months
Brayden Snarr said his wife Abi (pictured together left) joined the abrupt trip to Idaho after coming to believe the religious conspiracies. Blaze’s uncle Brooke Hale, Spring’s brother, (right) allegedly wrote a ‘last will and testament’ before joining the doomsday trip
Ben expressed growing concern for his son’s whereabouts, with nobody in the family aware of where the four fleeing relatives are and have not heard from them since Monday.
Blaze has been officially reported missing to law enforcement.
The father said the disturbing disappearance is the result of Spring’s fascination with the apocalypse, and said she first became interested in religious end-of-days conspiracies in 2015.
The family were already members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, however Spring grew increasingly obsessed with teachings about the Second Coming.
Ben said his concerns over her religious zealotry grew when Spring started attending energy healing sessions, alongside claiming to have dreams about an impending doomsday scenario.
‘She brought my daughter (Abi) into it,’ Ben said, leading his daughter to also claim to have similar dreams and the two started stockpiling emergency survival supplies.
Ben claimed Spring’s brother Brooke, who lived in Provo, Utah, was also consumed by a belief in the end-of-days, and said he, Spring and Abi would spend hours on the phone every day.
‘She started spending a significant amount of money on food prep,’ he said.
‘She was buying a lot of winter gear, even though we live in Arizona. She was buying tents. She was convinced that the saints would have to gather in the last days up in the mountains, and she was preparing for that.’
A missing poster created by Blaze Thibaudeau’s concerned family
Blaze may have been tricked to go on the trip believing it was for his birthday, his father said, who added that he is ‘in no way a supporter of anything (Spring) ever believed’
Ben Thibaudeau said he is becoming especially concerned for his son Blaze, fearing his brother-in-law could ‘restrain him or do something that would incapacitate him’ if he doesn’t go along with their religious fanaticism
At the same time, Ben says Brooke wrote a two-page ‘last will and testament’ to his children, withdrew $50,000 in cash, and began dividing up his assets.
However, while Brooke and Abi were enchanted by the wild religious fantasy, Ben said he is especially worried by Blaze’s disappearance as was not interested in the conspiracy.
‘He is in no way a supporter of anything she’s ever believed,’ he said.
‘He is your typical teenager, and all he wants to do is hang out with friends and be on his phone. He’s on the football team and has worked so hard to be on that football team. They still have games left this season. There’s no way that he would he would have gone along with it.’
The sudden move has also come after a period of apparent reconciliation between Ben and Spring.
He moved out in April at Spring’s request, but says they still had dinner and attended church as a family together. Ben described their relationship at the time as cordial, but added that she believed church leaders were plotting a ‘secret combination’ to ‘cover up his sins.’
The dad says he moved back in at the beginning of October, and before they vanished, he claimed the family situation was good.
On the day they vanished, Abi’s husband Brayden Snarr said he returned home to find his wife frantically packing their belongings, and told him they had booked flights to Idaho from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport where her uncle was ready to pick them up.
He told East Idaho News that, similar to her mother, Abi concerned him when she told him about her apocalyptic dreams months ago. At first, he said he went along with her wild claims, and even bought two years’ worth of food supplies.
‘I was comfortable doing it because I think preparedness is something that we should strive for,’ he began.
Abi Snarr (left) allegedly began stockpiling survival supplies around the same time as her mother, before her husband said her religious beliefs began to ‘spiral’
Brayden said he returned to his home on Monday to find his wife frantically packing their belongings and ordering him ‘it’s time to go’, leaving him ‘baffled’
Blaze’s father described him as ‘your typical teenager, and all he wants to do is hang out with friends and be on his phone’, and said his son worked hard to gain a place on his high school football team and would never leave with games still to be played
‘But over time, it started to get more and more, for lack of a better term, radical. It started to get more deep, and she connected with a bunch of different individuals with similar beliefs.’
He echoed Ben’s claims that the relatives would speak for hours on end about the Second Coming, and said earlier this year Abi questioned him about leaving their home if it became necessary.
‘My response to her was yes, if we were to be invaded by another country or our lives were in jeopardy, I would obviously not be in Phoenix in my apartment. I would leave — thinking that’s what she meant by that,’ Brayden says.
‘But her beliefs continued to spiral down and down to the point where on Monday morning she said, ‘It’s time to go.”
He said his panic-stricken wife called him at work Monday and told him he needed to rush home and take her to the hospital, only to arrive home to find the Ring doorbell had been removed and she was inside frantically packing.
‘The apartment was a mess. She had gone and purchased a bunch of hunting and utility camping gear from Sportsman’s Warehouse. And in utter shock, she told me that it’s time for us to leave and that I needed to go with her,’ he continued.
‘I was just baffled.’
Brayden Snarr said he initially went on with his wife’s insistence on readying for the apocalypse, but said he couldn’t bring himself to join her on the trip to Idaho
Despite her bewildering claims, Brayden said he almost joined her on the trip. ‘It’s one of those experiences where part of you is like, ‘I can’t let you go. I have to go with you even if it makes no logical sense’ because that’s the one you love,’ he said.
‘But deep down inside of me, I knew that this couldn’t be. The world is going to continue to keep spinning. I told her I just can’t do it. I can’t do it.’
When he hesitated, Brayen says his wife called her uncle Brooke, who read scriptures in an attempt to convince him to board the flight.
‘He was basically telling me that I will receive a witness after the trial of my faith and to trust God — that I’m a part of this with them, and it’s supposed to be the five of us,’ he said.
Although he says he grew emotional watching his wife drive away, he tried to text her to tell her there was no logic or reason for the wild religious beliefs.
‘She texted, ‘I love you. We will be back in a few years. And if you’re still around, I’ll come find you”, he said. After that, communication stopped.
Blaze’s remaining family believe Spring told the teen she was taking him out of school for a trip for his birthday when she checked him out of school.
‘My hope is that he realizes that’s not what’s going on. He can either play into it a little bit or figure out a point when they’re vulnerable and escape. Then we can find him and work that direction,’ Brayden says. ‘It’s my prayer he can somehow get away.’
At that time Ben says he didn’t know Blaze was missing, until Ben says he was at work when he received a call from Brayden telling him: ‘Our worst nightmares have come true.’
‘I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He said, ‘They’ve left. They’re gone.’ And I said, ‘Who’s left? Who’s gone?’ He said, ‘Abi, Blaze and Spring,” Ben recalled.
Brooke Hale allegedly withdrew $50,000 in cash and began dividing up his assets shortly before he also ceased all communication
An official missing poster for Blaze compiled by the Gilbert Police Department
With no word from the family and concern for Blaze’s safety growing, on Tuesday an Arizona judge issued an emergency order demanding the teen be immediately returned to his father.
Ben, who has been granted sole temporary custody of the 16-year-old, added: ‘I’m very concerned about that my son is in danger and that his uncle could be the aggressor if things don’t go the right way.’
The ‘last will and testament’ written by Ben, seen by East Idaho News, included disturbing writings that only worsened fears.
‘If you are reading this right now, it means that I am gone. I don’t know where I am going. I was not told. You will not see me for some time. How long I do not know but I WILL see you again,’ he reportedly wrote.
There has been no known activity on any of the groups bank accounts, and it is believed they are living off the $50,000 Brooke withdrew along with $4,000 Abi took with her.
With little answers, Ben travelled to Idaho on Tuesday and filed a report into Blaze’s disappearance. Boise Police reportedly referred the case to cops in Gilbert, Arizona, where he was first reported missing.
Gilbert Police did not immediately respond to a request for updates on the case when contacted by .com.
Blaze is believed to be with his family, who took survival supplies and are thought to be trying to ‘wait out’ until the apocalypse comes
Before he went missing, Blaze’s father said those that allegedly took him got into ‘dark topics’ that ‘really corrupted them in a really horrible way.’
The father says he was able to confirm that the group arrived in Boise Airport on Monday, where they were seen with a white Lexus SUV that may have been ‘outfitted for off-roading’, Ben said.
‘It has big 33-inch tires and a lift. We think they’re commuting still, so we don’t think they’re hunkered down in the mountains,’ he added.
‘The stuff that she purchased at the sporting goods store was all heavy gear, heavy wool socks, insulated boots, stuff of that nature,’ Brayden said, believing they are readying for cold weather.
‘I believe their purpose is just to try to wait this out. They’re thinking events are going to be happening soon and they need to be away for safety.’
‘They’re all good people. They’re all wonderful people. But getting into these dark topics has really corrupted them in a really horrible way.’