Father and son accused of holding Forest Service biologists at gunpoint
Federal prosecutors say two U.S. Forest Service biologists were zip-tied and held for hours near a Northern California campground.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
A father and his adult son are facing federal kidnapping charges after prosecutors said two U.S. Forest Service biologists were seized at gunpoint while researching frog habitats in a remote Northern California forest.
Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, appeared Monday in federal court in Sacramento, according to NBC News. They did not enter pleas to charges of kidnapping a federal employee and aiding and abetting.
The allegations center on a Thursday morning encounter near Gumboot Lake Campground in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, about 290 miles north of San Francisco. According to an affidavit filed in support of the charges, two Forest Service staff biologists were working in the area as part of a frog habitat study when Joseph Henrichsen approached them carrying an AR-15-style rifle.
The affidavit says Joseph Henrichsen zip-tied the workers’ hands behind their backs and ordered them to a nearby trailer. Phoenix Henrichsen later joined them there, according to the filing.
Prosecutors describe hours of fear in the forest
The two biologists, whose names have not been released, were held mostly at the trailer, the affidavit alleges. At one point, Joseph Henrichsen allegedly put one of the victims, identified in the filing only as a woman, into the Forest Service Nissan the workers had been using and drove her several miles away.
During that drive, prosecutors say, Joseph Henrichsen used the woman’s phone to place several calls and left a message for a federal forest ranger. In the message, quoted in the affidavit, he said he had taken two Forest Service biologists hostage and was driving a ranger vehicle.
The affidavit also alleges that Joseph Henrichsen said the woman’s hands were behind her back, that he had live rounds ready, and that he wanted to speak with a federal investigator, preferably from the FBI.
After that, the affidavit says, Joseph Henrichsen returned with the victim to the trailer, where the biologists were held at gunpoint for hours. During negotiations with law enforcement, he allegedly claimed to have a grenade and threatened to use it if officers did not back away.
Authorities said negotiators secured the victims’ release after 1 a.m. Friday. The Henrichsens then surrendered, according to officials.
No motive listed in charging papers
The federal charging documents do not state a possible motive. Lauren Horwood, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, told NBC News by email Monday that she could not comment beyond what was included in the filing.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said at a Friday news conference that the suspects were not known to law enforcement.
Property records reviewed by NBC News show Joseph Henrichsen had lived for years in Orange County, roughly 580 miles southeast of the area where the alleged kidnapping unfolded.
Court records show he was arrested in Whatcom County, Washington, in 2022. The Bellingham Herald reported that he was accused in that case of throwing fireworks at a neighbor’s home, leaving homemade handcuffs and a note on the front door that said “Assassinate Vlad Putin,” and walking around with a gun. The newspaper reported that the case was dismissed because Washington state could not provide psychiatric treatment to Joseph Henrichsen in time.
The latest federal charges were filed Friday. If convicted of kidnapping a federal employee, the Henrichsens could face life in prison.
It was not clear Monday whether Joseph or Phoenix Henrichsen had attorneys. NBC News reported that the regional federal defender’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Aug. 3.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.