People react to grandparents' arrest, in connection with woman and infant's disappearance
The grandparents of a missing Mesa infant, who were detained at the airport as they were trying to leave the state, are now behind bars, as a nationwide search is on for the baby, and his young mother.
Roland and Cassandra Jones are now facing charges of custodial interference and filing a false police report. According to police, the grandparents first reported their daughter, 19-year-old Madeleine Jones, and their grandchild, one-year-old William, missing in June.
Evidence, however, reportedly reveals that Roland and Cassandra may have actually helped the two disappear, in an effort to avoid a nasty custody trial with William's father.
A judge set bond at $50,000 for Roland, as well as for Cassandra. In court on Thursday, Roland said the two don't have that kind of money.
According to police records, Madeleine searched "How to disappear" on her laptop, before she and the baby vanished in June. Investigators believe the grandparents helped change Madeleine's appearance, and gave her thousands of dollars in cash, right before she left.
"You feel a little violated," said family friend Jennifer Roy. "You've been lied to."
Community members donated nearly $2,000 to a fundraising campaign, started by the Joneses as a way to raise money, in an effort to hire a private investigator to search for the missing mother and her baby.
"I did donate because I would want to help someone," said Roy. "Now, I'm a little bit like, 'Oh my god! What did they use my money for?'"
"We asked them what did you do with this money that you claimed you received, and they could not answer," said Billie Tarascio, attorney for William's father.
"The wool has been pulled over our eyes," said Roy. "We've been lied to. It's just unbelievable that people can do this."
The attorney for William's father said the grandparents were headed to Texas, when they were detained at the airport on Wednesday, and that police have searched for the missing pair in at least six different states.
Meanwhile, Mesa Police have not given any updates on the whereabouts of those missing.