2 suspects extradited from Alaska to Arizona in case that echoes ‘Doomsday Mom’ saga

PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office extradited two suspects from Alaska to Arizona this week in a case that has similarities to the infamous “Doomsday Mom” saga.

Brook Hale was booked into a Phoenix jail on Wednesday, and his sister Spring Thibaudeau’s extradition from Fairbanks was completed Thursday night, MCSO said.

They each face two counts of custodial interference and had bonds set at $500,000.

The sibling suspects were arrested in late October at Alaska’s Alcan Port of Entry, just west of the Canadian territory of Yukon. They were traveling with Thibaudeau’s 16-year-old son Blaze and his sister.

Blaze Thibaudeau had been reported missing from Gilbert earlier that month by his father, Ben Thibaudeau, who described his wife’s doomsday beliefs in a court filing.

How does Arizona custodial interference case resemble ‘Doomsday Mom’ saga?

According to Maricopa County Superior Court documents, Ben Thibaudeau filed to have his marriage to Spring Thibaudeau dissolved on Oct. 17. He then filed an emergency motion for sole custody and decision-making authority regarding his son a day after his wife allegedly took Blaze to the mountains of Idaho against his will.

The custody court filing calls Hale the leader of a doomsday group and cites similarities to the Vallow Daybell case, which also had ties to the East Valley and Idaho. Vallow Daybell was extradited to Arizona last month to face two charges of conspiracy to commit murder after being convicted of killing two of her children and a romantic rival in Idaho earlier this year.

Before departing, Hale reportedly left a note for his family saying he received visions and didn’t know when he’d see them again, according to the filing.

This is an updated version of a story that was originally published on Dec. 14, 2023.

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