A 10-year-old girl missing for nearly a year after Utah authorities say she was kidnapped by her biological mother has been reunited with her father after she was found safe in Lake City, Florida.
Since last summer, local and federal authorities in Utah and Nevada had been looking for Ariana Bozemen. Police in Enoch, Utah, said the girl was kidnapped by her biological mother, 34-year-old Dawn Closson, after the girl's father was granted sole custody of the child.
Deputies following a lead from an anonymous tip found Ariana and her mother at an interstate rest area near Lake City early Wednesday morning.
The girl's father, Adrian Bozemen, said he got a call about 2 a.m. Wednesday from police and just about 24 hours later, his daughter was back in his arms.
"I can’t stop thinking about seeing her face and hearing her voice," Bozeman said before their reunion.
He drove from Oklahoma, where he is stationed at an Air Force base, to Florida to pick Ariana up so the two can spend time catching up as they drive back home. Bozeman's wife joined him on the trip, and he said Ariana broke the awkward silence of their first reunion.
“When I walked into the place to pick her up, she looked at me. I looked at her and I didn’t know what to do or say. I planned out a bunch of stuff, nothing came to my head. We just looked at each other," Bozeman said. "Then she smiled and looked at my wife and (said), 'Oh you’re pretty.’ Then she just broke the ice herself.”
He said after that, it was all smiles and they checked into a hotel before spending the morning at a Lake City Walmart buying clothes for Ariana before beginning their long drive back to Bozeman's home in Oklahoma. Bozeman said the only clothes the girl owned were the ones she was wearing when she was found.
Bozeman told News4Jax his daughter was confused about everything taking place when they were reunited. She told him her mother had told her horrible stories about him trying to destroy the girl's relationship with her mother.
“I told her that no matter what you do or what we go through here, the No. 1 thing we need is communication," Bozeman said. "'If you feel a certain type of way about something going on, just let me know and we’ll work on it together. We’re going to be together from here on out.' She smiled and everything was good after that.”
He has learned that Ariana, her mother and her mother's boyfriend had been living in an RV for some time but that they had ditched it and were living out of an SUV, only traveling at night and never checking into hotels. Her mother had been homeschooling her while they were on the run.
Bozeman said he’s now preparing his daughter for what she will likely learn in court.
“I told that you’re going to find out some stuff about your mom and her boyfriend, but just remember the good times you had with them and try not to get caught up with the bad," he said.
Bozeman said when they get back to the base in Oklahoma, he's going to enroll his daughter in a counseling program offered by the military. She'll be able to have private sessions with the counselor and family sessions with Bozeman each week.
He said that despite everything, he wants Ariana to have some kind of relationship with her mother.
“It’s going to be rough sometimes because she will have to face the truth that 'my mom broke the law' and 'my mom deliberately broke the law.' I will have to be there to coach and support her through that," Bozeman said.
Mother arrested
Investigators in Utah said they contacted the Columbia County Sheriff's Office after they got a tip from an anonymous Florida resident who noticed something suspicious about the girl and her mother. Investigators said the tipster went online, saw news reports about the girl and called them. Columbia County deputies said they located the 10-year-old inside an SUV at a rest stop along Interstate 75 near Lake City.
"This is just a mindful and watchful resident that was able to help us bring this to justice and get the girl safely back," said Sgt. Isaac Akeroth, with the Enoch Police Department.
Also inside the vehicle was Closson (pictured), Closson’s boyfriend and several other children, authorities said.
Closson was arrested and booked into the Columbia County jail, online jail records show. She is charged with custodial interference across state lines, and authorities said more charges are pending.
Her boyfriend and the other children in the SUV were allowed to leave while Ariana was placed into protective custody by the Department of Children and Families.
Currently, Closson is the only one facing charges, but police in Utah said if they can prove her boyfriend was aware she illegally took the child, he could face charges, as well.
There's no word yet on when Closson will be extradited to Utah to face her charges.