A mother arrived to pick up her young son after a weekend with family — and he was gone. What followed was a frantic, multi-state search that stretched from a small Ohio suburb all the way to Houston, Texas, before ending with a safe recovery and a federal arrest.
The 6-year-old boy from Maple Heights, Ohio, was reported missing on June 15, 2026, after his mother contacted local police upon arriving to collect him from a family member’s home. Authorities say the child had been with relatives over the weekend, but the situation changed when D’Juan Younger, 37, allegedly took the boy from the residence without permission and traveled to the Houston area.
Despite repeated requests from the child’s mother and Maple Heights police urging Younger to return the boy, authorities say he refused. Police moved quickly, obtaining a warrant charging Younger with interference with custody.
By June 16, detectives at the Maple Heights Police Department called in federal support, requesting assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service SPEAR Unit — a specialized team focused on fugitive apprehension and recovery operations. The case had grown well beyond a local matter.
Investigators in the Northern District of Ohio developed a lead on Younger’s location and passed the information to the Southern District of Texas. Within a single day, Texas marshals had located both the suspect and the child.
On the morning of June 18, the boy was recovered safely in Houston. Younger was taken into custody without incident and is expected to remain held in Texas pending extradition back to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, where formal charges await him.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott credited the Maple Heights Police Department’s investigative work and their decision to seek federal assistance as key factors in bringing the child home quickly.
The boy had been missing for three days. He was found more than 1,000 miles from home — alive and safe.
