The investigation into the death of a 16-year-old Arizona boy has led to the arrests of three people, including the teen’s parents.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office says 41-year-old Jon Imes and 41-year-old Amber-Leah Valentine reported to deputies on February 25 that their 16-year-old son had run away from their Kingman home. The couple told deputies their son was last seen two days prior at around 10 a.m.
On Feb. 28, deputies found a body wrapped in a blanket behind a stone wall in Kingman. The victim was not identified, and autopsy results are pending.
A few days later on March 2, Valentine called the sheriff’s office to report that she had just freed her 14-year-old daughter, who was allegedly being held captive by Valentine’s roommates – 39-year-old Shioban Gujda and 34-year-old Richard Pounds.
Valentine and her daughter were taken to a Kingman hospital for treatment.
While at the hospital, Valentine allegedly admitted to deputies that she and her husband, Imes, disposed of their son’s body.
“She admitted that she lied to Deputies when they reported him as a runaway and acknowledged that he was already deceased at the time of the report,” the sheriff’s office said.
During questioning, Imes allegedly admitted to disposing of his son’s body and lying to deputies about him running away from home.
Deputies spoke to the couple’s daughter at the hospital, where the teen claimed she had been abused by Pounds and shot in the eye with a BB gun.
The sheriff’s office then contacted the Arizona Department of Child Safety, who took custody of the girl.
Valentine and Imes were arrested and booked into jail. They are accused of abandonment/concealment of a dead body.
Pounds and Gujda were taken into custody after deputies executed a search warrant on their home.
Pounds was arrested and booked into jail. He is accused of child abuse and aggravated assault.
The sheriff’s office said Gujda was released pending further investigation.
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