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Baby William: Grandparents of missing Mesa baby in custody

Couple detained in missing Mesa baby case
Couple detained in missing Mesa baby case
Posted at 2:14 PM, Sep 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-29 01:33:05-04

The grandparents of a missing Mesa baby have been arrested.

Phoenix police said Cassie and Roland Jones were detained at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Wednesday on behalf of Mesa police. 

The couple were in the custody of Mesa police before being transported to 4th Avenue Jail.

Roland Jones met with a judge around 5 a.m. Thursday morning. He is being held on $50,000 bond. Prosecutors say he is a flight risk, so he would need electronic monitoring if he posts bail. 

Cassandra Yusko-Jones has not yet appeared in front of a judge. 

ABC15 spoke with the Billie Tarascio , the attorney for Baby William’s father, during their initial appearance. She says when Cassandra and Roland were detained at the airport on Wednesday, they were fleeing to Texas. 

Tarascio said Baby William’s father is pleading for them to come home. Officials are looking for Madeline Jones and Baby William in six different states, according to Tarascio.

Mesa police said 19-year-old Madeline Jones and her son, 1-year-old William, were reported missing on June 16 by Roland Jones. 

During the investigation, it was determined that Roland and Cassandra Jones, Madeline's parents, participated in the disappearance of both their daughter and grandson. 

Police believe Roland and Cassandra were aware that the father of the child, Jacob Gouchenour, had been granted joint custody of William, and helped Madeline deny him access to his son. 

"I haven't gotten to be part of his life hardly at all and I want to be," said Gouchenour, who now lives in Montana. "I've tried and tried to work through the courts, and then when I'm finally awarded joint custody in June, a day and a half of parenting time, my ex-wife took off with my son."

The woman's parents also gave false information to Mesa detectives, police said. 

Madeline and William have not been located even though charges against Madeline are pending.