US forest service workers kidnapped, ziptied for hours by father-son duo: California AG

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A father-son duo in California allegedly kidnapped a pair of U.S. forest service workers, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a press conference.

Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen allegedly took the two federal workers hostage inside a trailer in a rural area near Mt. Shasta.

The FBI deployed a hostage negotiator from Quantico to coordinate with local authorities. The authorities negotiated the hostages’ release after hours of talks with the kidnappers.

The elder Henrichsen demanded to speak with the FBI after ziptying the hostages and holding them inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake in northern California’s Shasta Trinity National Forest.

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Boats on Shasta Lake in Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Shasta Lake, California, US, on Monday, June 19, 2023.

A Forest Services employee called authorities shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Thursday to notify them of the kidnapping. The FBI secured the release of one of the hostages at 1:50 a.m. on Friday and the second hostage 15 minutes later. The alleged kidnappers surrendered themselves to the FBI at 2:30 a.m.

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“I’m grateful beyond words that both of our Forest Service employees taken hostage on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest are home safe,” Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said in a statement.

“This was a frightening experience for everyone involved. Their well-being continues to be our highest priority. We’re staying close to them and their loved ones, making sure they have the support and the space that they need after what they’ve been through,” he concluded.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz arrives for the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing titled "Oversight of the United States Forest Service," in Dirksen building on Tuesday, June 2, 2026

The FBI does not yet know what the kidnappers’ motivation is or why they requested to speak with the FBI.

“The United States Attorney’s Office intends to charge both men by criminal complaint with kidnapping a federal employee under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(5),” Grant said during a Friday press conference.

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Fox News Digital contacted the FBI and the US Forest Service for additional comment.

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