Benjamin Armand “Ben” Thibaudeau, 47, and Spring Hale Thibaudeau, 49, of Gilbert, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States regularly attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They have four children together including Abigail “Abi” Thibaudeau Snarr, 21, and Blaze Thibaudeau, 16.
In 2015, Spring became interested in end-of-days religious topics. Her brother Brook Hardy Hale, 47, of Provo, Utah, USA is also fascinated with doomsday teachings and they spent hours talking on the phone with Snarr.
According to Ben, Spring gradually became obsessed with authors who wrote about the Second Coming. She allegedly started participating in energy healing sessions, started to claim she was having dreams and brought Snarr into it.
On June 6, 2021, Snarr married Braydon Snarr, 25, of Ammon, Bonneville County, Idaho, USA. In December 2021, she told him she had a dream about the last days so they bought two years’ worth of food storage.
In April 2023, Spring asked Ben if they could live apart so he moved out. Their relationship remained cordial and they continued going to church together.
In the first week of October 2023, Ben moved back in with Spring. At around 5:00 p.m. on October 23, 2023, Blaze was seen in Gilbert with Spring and Abi and later that night, the three went to the Boise Airport in Boise, Ada County, Idaho.
On October 24, 2023, a judge in Arizona issued an emergency order demanding Blaze be returned immediately to Ben, the temporary sole custody parent. That day, Ben arrived in Idaho and contacted the Boise Police Department.
On October 26, 2023, Ben received information that Spring, Abi and Blaze used passports to enter Canada. Ben told East Idaho News that Hale, Spring and Abi see Blaze as “a Davidic servant who plays a significant role in the Savior’s return”.
On October 27, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found Hale, Spring, Abi and Blaze at the Alcan Port of Entry in Alaska, USA. Spring and Hale were arrested on full extradition warrants from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Both Spring and Hale are in the custody of the Alaska State Troopers. She was charged with two felony counts of custodial interference and he was handed down a felony warrant for two counts of conspiracy to commit custodial interference.
CONAN Daily 