The FBI and the Vancouver police are trying to locate an 8-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen in more than six months.
Breadson John’s family members who live in the area have said he isn’t missing, but they haven’t told police where he is, officials said.
“I don’t believe that law enforcement has ever laid eyes on him,” said Steve Bernd, a spokesman in the FBI’s Seattle office, which is handling the case.
The boy, who also goes by the name Brxsan, apparently was living with his grandparents, Masterino Machuo and Refoela Refalopei, at the Walnut Grove Landing apartments in the 4700 block of Northeast 72nd Avenue in Vancouver. A “community member” contacted Washington Child Protective Services last year, prompting a June 17 welfare check by police.
Machuo and Refalopei have not cooperated with the investigation, officials said. They were charged in December with custodial interference, which is a common charge in cases where a family member kidnaps a child.
“If it was me, and the authorities were looking for my child, I’d be handing over as many new photos as I could to help them find him,” Bernd said. “That’s one of the things that shines the light on [the question of] why these caregivers are not giving us more details. They keep on insisting that he’s not missing. Well, then, where is he?”
The photos of John that law enforcement is using on a recently released missing-child poster came from Facebook and are more than a year old. Police said the boy’s appearance has likely changed.
The Vancouver Police Department confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive that police officers did not see the child during the June 2022 welfare check. A neighbor who used to see John playing outside told police that the boy hadn’t been around since late May or early June, Bernd said. Machuo and Refalopei later moved out of the apartment complex. They are still living in the Vancouver area, according to the FBI.
John has black hair and brown eyes, was born in Hawaii in 2014 and speaks English and Trukeese/Chukeese, the FBI said. He also has ties to Arizona and the islands of Micronesia.
The boy has never been enrolled as a student in the Vancouver Public School District, the district said. It’s unclear if he ever attended school in another district.
So far, there’s no evidence a crime has been committed, Bernd said.
Police are trying to locate John’s parents, but their whereabouts aren’t known. They may have released custody of John to his grandparents and returned to Micronesia last year, officials said.
Since releasing the missing-and-endangered-child poster this week, the FBI has been receiving tips, Bernd said.
“We want to raise awareness; the public is a great resource for law enforcement,” he added. “That’s why (Vancouver Police) is bringing in the FBI. Our national reach and resources adds weight to an investigation. No one is giving up on this little guy.”
Anyone who may have information about John should contact Vancouver Police Detective James Dewey at james.dewey@cityofvancouver.us; 360-487-7446 or call 911. Tips also can be sent to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
