Aug 4, 2015
Archived: Missing 16-Month-Old Girl Found North Of Melrose Sunday Night
A missing 16-month-old girl was found at Birch Lakes State Campground after a citizen reported suspicious behavior by a group of campers Sunday night.
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says officers received the complaint at 9 p.m. about odd behavior from campers and tarps covering vehicles. The person who made the complaint also noticed the vehicles’ license plates read “Idaho” and researched online news articles about a missing child from the state.
They then contacted the sheriff’s office who discovered an active arrest warrant for Joshya Michael Oquendo from Pocatello, Idaho, for 2nd Degree kidnapping and child custody interference.
Stearns County deputies responded to the campground in Melrose Township with help from the Melrose and Sauk Centre Police Departments, Todd County Sheriff’s Office and State Patrol.
The child was found at the campsite and officers were able to contact law enforcement in Idaho to confirm the warrant for 28-year-old Oquendo. All of the other people with him were arrested and booked in Stearns County Jail for aiding an offender.
The other people arrested at the campsite include 49-year-old Samantha Dawne Landauer and 54-year-old Jon Newman of Pocatello, and 20-year-old Travis Lee Adams and 18-year-old Jorja Michelle Fouch of Nampa, Idaho.
The investigation is still active in partnership with law enforcement in Pocatello.







































