Tucson, AZ – On March 23, 2022, in Springfield, Missouri, 3
minor children were taken from their home by their non-custodial mother,
Brittany Barnes and her wife Ceairah Beverly. The children, aged 10, 9,
and 8 were in the custody of the State of Missouri when it is alleged
that their birth mother, Barnes and her wife, Beverly took the children
without permission during a scheduled visitation. Barnes and Beverly
then fled the state of Missouri with the children, in a black Infinity
XQ60.
On April 8, 2022, an arrest warrant was issued
out of Greene County Missouri for Brittany Barnes and Ceairah Beverly
charging the couple with Kidnapping and Custodial Interference stemming
from the March 23rd incident.
“It is estimated that there are approximately
400,000 missing children in the United States. Many missing children are
never reported to authorities. I am pleased that 3 of these vulnerable
children were recovered by the U.S. Marshals Service and can now obtain
the support and healing they deserve.” said United States Marshal David
Gonzales.
On May 5, 2022, investigators from Springfield,
Missouri requested U.S. Marshals Service assistance in locating the 3
minor children along with the apprehension of Barnes and Beverly on
their felony warrant for kidnapping. Information was developed that
placed Barnes and Beverly in the Tucson, AZ area. Deputy Marshals in
Arizona collaborated with members of Missouri’s U.S. Marshals Service
Midwest Violent Fugitive Task Force, conducting an in-depth
investigation into the location of all 5 individuals. The investigation
revealed Barnes and Beverly, along with the children, were likely
staying at an unknown hotel in Tucson, AZ.
Several days of surveillance were conducted at
possible locations throughout the city of Tucson, however, Barnes,
Beverly and the children were not identified at those locations. On May
13, 2022, task force members in Tucson were able to locate the Infinity
SUV at a hotel at Casino Del Sol. Task force members coordinated with
Pascua Yaqui Police to confirm both Barnes and Beverly, along with the
children, were staying at the hotel associated with the casino.
At around noon on Friday May 13th, Barnes,
Beverly and the children were observed leaving the hotel and getting
into the SUV. Law enforcement was able to contact the fugitives and take
them into custody without incident. The children were recovered safely
and turned over to Arizona Department of Child Safety pending their
return to Missouri.
Barnes and Beverly were then transported and
booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on their felony
warrants and are awaiting extradition to Missouri.
The Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force is
a U.S. Marshals Service led multi-jurisdictional fugitive apprehension
unit responsible for more than 1748 arrests in the last year. The task
force is comprised of 22 agencies bringing together the resources of
federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest
the community’s most violent offenders and sexual predators.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
####America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency