Butte County Parents Arrested During Missing Children Investigation | News

BUTTE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. – Two suspects were arrested during the missing children investigation, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said.

Officials said Monday that the Butte County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call from a woman who reported that her 3-year-old child was missing from a home in the 7000 block of Laporte Road in Bangor.

Officers said they identified the missing child’s parents as Mayra Barajas, 32, of Bangor and Jose Valenciacontreas, 35, of Bangor.

A BCSO tracking K-9 was deployed during the search.

Further investigation revealed that the child had been missing since Monday at 7:30 p.m. Investigators also said they found evidence that the child’s parents were growing marijuana on the property and that the child was visiting marijuana grow sites with his parents.

The K9 eventually led officers to an illegal marijuana grow operation. Around 3:21 a.m. Tuesday, officers discovered the child under a tarp covering a large illegal marijuana grow operation. The child was about three feet away from hundreds of marijuana plants. The child was cold and required immediate medical attention. The child was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and later released to Butte County Children’s Services.

Mayra Barajas and Jose Valenciacontreas were arrested on child endangerment charges. They were booked into the Butte County Jail. On the afternoon of May 7, investigators executed a search warrant at the Laporte Road residence. While serving the search warrant, investigators located 6,674.55 pounds of processed marijuana, 5,257 marijuana plants and four firearms.