4 missing Kitsap children found; father arrested
Published 1:30 am Monday, September 11, 2023
Multiple sources have confirmed that the four Kitsap County children who went missing for over six months have been found safe across international borders, and their father suspected of taking them is in custody.
Madison Belleau, the children’s mother, told Kitsap Daily News Sept. 11 that her children have been returned home, information later confirmed by public information officer Kevin McCarty of the Kitsap Sheriff’s Office.
She said she received information on Facebook from a woman telling her the children were located in Mexico, spotted by Americans who recognized them from previous postings.
McCarty also confirmed that Joshua Lee Susee of Olalla was in custody. Later updates from KCSO say he was arrested in Ensenada, Mexico, and is in the custody of U.S. marshals in San Diego. A swift delivery of the suspect to Kitsap County is expected.
It was a breakthrough for the search that began March 2 when Susee failed to return to the mom’s care the four Susee children: Archer, 10; Faylinn, 10; Ember, 6; and Hazel, 4.
KCSO obtained a $1 million warrant for Susee’s arrest in early April for first-degree custodial interference.
