Missing 6-Year-Old Texas Boy Found Safe; Parents Arrested on Kidnapping Charges

A 6-year-old boy at the center of an Amber Alert in West Texas was found safe Saturday evening, and both of his parents have been arrested and charged with kidnapping, a third-degree felony.

The incident unfolded on the evening of September 20, when Maxamillius Dominguez disappeared from his home in Odessa, prompting a statewide Amber Alert. Authorities, including the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the FBI, and local law enforcement, launched an immediate search, fearing the child was in imminent danger.

DPS officials identified the boy's father, José Dominguez, 42, as the primary suspect. He is reported to have an extensive criminal history. The search came to an end when the boy was found in Gardendale, Texas, according to Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis. While the child was confirmed safe and in custody, authorities have not disclosed further details about the circumstances of his recovery.

Jail records obtained by KXAN show that both José Dominguez and the boy's mother, Venessa Mariscal, have been taken into custody. They remain held at the Ector County Law Enforcement Center as of Sunday morning.

According to the Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center, approximately 840,000 children are reported missing annually in the U.S. Family abductions account for about half of all reported kidnappings. A 2022 AMBER Alert Report ranked Texas as the state with the highest number of alerts, followed by Georgia and Florida.