A desperate search intensified across Utah and into neighboring states late Friday as authorities issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for 5-year-old James Despain, snatched by his non-custodial father in a brazen act tied to a heated medical dispute. Benjamin Despain, 45, allegedly fled with the boy during a supervised visitation on December 2, prompting fears the child faces “immediate danger” from exposure, isolation, or worse. With investigators hot on the trail of a red Toyota Tacoma and a white trailer, public tips are surging, expanding the dragnet from Idaho’s panhandle to southern Utah’s red rock canyons – and even “back east” per the mother’s suspicions.

The nightmare unfolded in Bountiful, a family-oriented suburb north of Salt Lake City, where Natalie Despain – the boy’s mother and sole legal custodian – handed over James at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday for a routine three-hour visit. By 8:30 p.m., when she arrived at Benjamin’s Murray residence to pick up her son, the home was empty. No sign of the blond-haired kindergartener, known for his obsession with dinosaurs and astronaut rockets, or his 6-foot-2 father with hazel eyes and a salt-and-pepper beard. Minutes later, Natalie’s phone lit up with a chilling email from Benjamin: “I’ve taken James away. The surgery isn’t right for him. We’ll be safe.” The message referenced an upcoming adenoid removal procedure scheduled for December 4, a minor outpatient fix for James’s chronic ear infections that Benjamin – a vocal skeptic of conventional medicine – viewed as “unnecessary mutilation.”

James, standing just 3 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 47 pounds, was last seen in a gray T-shirt emblazoned with a rocket ship, green pants, and light-up sneakers, clutching his beloved stuffed T-rex. The Utah Department of Public Safety activated the advisory – a notch below a full Amber Alert but signaling imminent harm – blasting details across digital billboards, social media, and news outlets by 9 p.m. Friday. “This isn’t a custody spat; it’s a potential endangerment,” Bountiful Police Lt. Andrew Smith stressed in an urgent briefing. “The cold snap hitting the Rockies could turn a trailer hideout deadly for a 5-year-old.”

The getaway vehicle emerged as the linchpin: Benjamin’s weathered 2006 red Toyota Tacoma, Utah plate 255PCJ, towing a white 2004 Forest River trailer (plate 017431Z) primed for off-grid evasion. Highway cameras and license plate readers pinged the rig crossing into Idaho near Pocatello around midnight on December 3, but the trail went cold after a rural fuel stop. “He’s ditching interstates for backroads – think national forest pull-offs and BLM land,” a source in the multi-agency task force told The Daily Chronicle. Drones buzzed over the Snake River canyons, while ground teams combed RV parks in Ogden and Bear Lake. An ex parte protective order for James was issued December 3, but serving it proved futile amid the vanishing act.

What supercharged the escalation? A torrent of new clues from a vigilant public, amplified by viral social media. By Saturday dawn, #FindJamesDespain had racked up 200,000 X posts, with grainy dashcam clips of a red truck matching the description near Logan, Utah, and a tipster’s photo of a bearded man and young boy at a St. George diner. Family intel pointed to Benjamin’s Mormon roots: He idolized historic church sites along the pioneer trail, with relatives in Idaho’s rural enclaves and Montana’s Flathead Valley. Natalie, a 34-year-old dental hygienist remarried and raising James with two half-siblings, confided to reporters: “He talked about heading east to Nauvoo replicas – anything to ‘protect’ James from doctors.” Her ex’s history – including skipped vaccines, therapy no-shows, and court rants about “Big Pharma” during their 2023 divorce – painted a portrait of escalating defiance.

The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit profiled Benjamin as “evasive but non-violent,” a former construction foreman turned homesteader who traded Sunday services for survivalist forums. “These cases often stem from protective delusions clashing with court mandates,” forensic psychologist Dr. Elias Grant explained on a Fox News segment. “But winter in a trailer? That’s not safety – that’s roulette.” Echoing the 2019 California vaccine abduction saga, this incident highlights America’s custody quagmire: Over 1,200 parental kidnappings reported annually, per the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, many fueled by health schisms.

Bountiful’s close-knit community – 45,000 strong in Davis County’s suburban quilt – mobilized like a well-oiled machine. Vigils at the local LDS stake center drew hundreds, with teddy bears and Lego sets piling up as symbols of solidarity. A GoFundMe for search costs and counseling topped $40,000 by midday, fueled by donors sharing their own fractured-family scars. “Ben’s a good soul gone rogue – but stealing a kid? Unthinkable,” neighbor Carla Ruiz told assembled cameras, her voice cracking.

Hotline tips (1-800-THE-LOST) exploded to 300 overnight, sifting gems from ghosts: A red Tacoma at a Bozeman truck stop (debunked), a boy matching James at a Missoula McDonald’s (false positive). Idaho State Police and Montana troopers widened the net, while Utah Highway Patrol monitored southern routes to St. George. “Every lead’s gold – we’ve got eyes on every exit ramp,” Lt. Smith updated at a noon presser, flanked by teary-eyed Natalie clutching James’s favorite book. She penned a raw plea: “Ben, you’re his world. Don’t let cold or fear steal that. Bring him home – we fix this together.”

As subzero forecasts loomed, the stakes skyrocketed. No ransom traces, no phone pings from James’s powered-off tablet – just a father’s resolute manifesto and a boy’s innocent grin frozen in alerts. Prosecutors eye felony custodial interference charges if apprehended, potentially stripping Benjamin’s visitation rights for good. Faith leaders from their ward urged surrender at any outpost, emphasizing “obedience to law as gospel truth.”

This isn’t mere drama; it’s a siren on parental extremes in polarized times. With the advisory live, Bountiful PD begs: Spot that Tacoma? Snap it, plate it, report it – no heroics. “James is out there, scared but strong. Help us end this,” Natalie implored, her words cutting through the frenzy.

The Daily Chronicle is glued to this high-stakes hunt. Tips? Call Bountiful PD at (801) 298-6000, case #B25-21141. Time’s ticking.