Missing 2-Year-Old Found in California, Mother Arrested on Custodial Interference Warrant

Crystal Salazar was arrested last week on a custodial interference warrant after a multi-jurisdictional investigation tracked her across multiple states and located her 2-year-old son alive in California, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.

The child has since been returned to New Mexico and is now with his father, Stephen West.

West had not seen his son in over a year when he reported the boy missing in October 2025. Salazar had taken the child out of state in September 2024, initially described in the sheriff's office release as a vacation. West filed a custody case that same year and was awarded primary custody by a court in early 2025, but by the time that order was in place, Salazar and the child were already gone. A warrant for custodial interference, a fourth-degree felony, was subsequently issued against Salazar.

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office initiated a complex investigation that tracked Salazar through several states before locating her in California. The U.S. Marshals Service for the District of New Mexico was among the cooperating agencies; reporting also indicates the FBI and law enforcement in Nevada assisted in the effort.

"The safe recovery of this child is the result of strong coordination between law-enforcement partners across multiple states," said David Barnett, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico. "We are grateful for the work of the investigators who followed this lead and ensured this child could be safely reunited with his family."

Salazar's arrest came roughly 17 months after she first took the child out of state and five months after West filed the missing-person report. The sheriff's office press release, posted March 19, did not provide a specific arrest date or location.

Anyone seeking additional information can contact the San Juan County Sheriff's Office through Rebekah Click at 505-334-7027 or clickr@sjcso.com.