arizona news
Has been updated: March 6, 2023 at 5:16 PM
Amber-Leah Valentine (left), 41, Jon Imes (middle), 41, and Richard Pounds (right), 34. (Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Photo)
PHOENIX — The parents of a 16-year-old boy who died in Kingman were taken into custody Thursday for hiding the teenage boy’s body in a blanket and lying to law enforcement that he had fled, officials said.
Deputies for the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday found a man’s body behind a stone wall near a road in Anson Smith and Indian Canyon, but his identity was unknown at the time, MSCO said. rice field. press release.
Three days ago, on February 25, Kingman’s Amber Leah Valentine, 41, and John Imez, 41, reported that their teenage son had run away from their home near Lomita Street and Packard Avenue.
Valentine called MCSO again on March 2 to report that she had released her 14-year-old daughter from custody with her roommate Richard.
Pounds, 34, and Siobhan Guzida, 39, officials said.
She and her daughter were taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center, where Valentine allegedly confessed that she and her husband disposed of their son’s body wrapped in a blanket.
Authorities said the woman lied to lawmakers and said her son was dead when she was reported missing.
Authorities said Imez walked away from the body and admitted to lying to lawmakers during questioning.
Valentine and Ames were held in the Mojave County Adult Detention Facility for felony abandonment and body-covering charges.
A 14-year-old girl told a medical center detective about being shot in the eye by Pounds with a BB gun and being abused at home.
Pounds and Gzida were taken into custody pursuant to a search warrant at the residence by the Bullhead City SWAT team. Pounds was arrested for child abuse and aggravated assault and placed in the Mojave County Adult Detention Center. Guzida was released pending further investigation.
“The investigation is ongoing and further charges may be filed based on the findings of the investigation,” an MSCO spokesperson said. KTAR News 92.3 FM.
The teenage daughter is being treated at an undisclosed location and has contacted the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
An autopsy was performed on the 16-year-old on Saturday, and MSCO is awaiting results of the cause of death.
Heidi Hommel of KTAR News 92.3 FM contributed to this report.
