Girl at center of Amber Alert found safe, father charged with first-degree murder in mother's death

Riley Harper Bockes was found safe in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, after being abducted from the 3000 block of Lee Avenue earlier in the day.
Posted 1/6/2022, 4:21:00 AM Updated 1/6/2022, 4:22:28 AM

I HAVE THE TIMELINE FOR ALL

THREE.

>>> WE ARE FOLLOWING BREAKING

NEWS.

IN THE LAST HOUR WE LEARNED THE

SEARCH FOR AN ABDUCTED CHILD IN

SANFORD ENDED IN ANOTHER STATE.

>> AUTHORITIES SAY 3-YEAR-OLD

RILEY BOCKES THE LITTLE GIRL AT

THE CENTER OF THE AMBER ALERT

WAS FOUND SAFE TONIGHT WITH HER

FATHER IN TENNESSEE.

THE FATHER BRENT BOCKES IS

CHARGED WITH MURDERING THE

CHILD'S MOTHER.

>> WRAL'S JULIAN GRACE IS LIVE

IN SANFORD WHERE THE GIRL WAS

LAST SEEN BEFORE TONIGHT'S BIG

DEVELOPMENT IN THIS CASE.

JULIAN?

>> Reporter: WELL GERALD, WE

WANT TO WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT WE

KNOW NOW.

WE FOUND OUT BOCKES AND HIS

DAUGHTER, RILEY, WERE FOUND

SEVEN PLUS HOURS AWAY IN

MURPHYSBORO, TENNESSEE.

THIS IS WHAT DETECTIVES TELL US

HAPPENED.

THEY SAID BOCKES WAS IN A STOLEN

VEHICLE, HE CRASHED, JUMPED OUT

OF THAT CAR, THEN TOOK OFF WITH

RILEY.

EVENTUALLY INVESTIGATORS FOUND

HIM IN A NEARBY HOTEL AND

ARRESTED HIM AND CHARGED HIM

WITH HIS WIFE'S MURDER.

THEY ALSO FOUND RILEY.

THEY SAID SHE WAS SAFE AND THEY

TOOK HER AWAY TO SAFETY.

NOW WE HAVE BEEN ALL OVER

SANFORD TONIGHT.

WE WANT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION

TO THIS HOUSE RIGHT HERE.

DETECTIVES WERE AT THIS HOUR

EARLIER TODAY AROUND 1:17 IN THE

AFTERNOON.

INSIDE THEY FOUND THE BODY OF

DEANNA MICHELLE BOCKES.

OFFICERS QUICKLY REALIZED AND

RULED HER DEATH A HOMICIDE.

AND THEN THEY REALIZED HER

HUSBAND, BRENT BOCKES, AND THEIR

DAUGHTER WERE MISSING.

BOCKES IS NOW CHARGED WITH HIS

WIFE'S MURDER.

WE ALSO DID SOME RESEARCH INTO

BOCKES' PAST AND FOUND OUT HE

HAS CHARGES FROM BACK IN MARCH

OF 2021, WHICH INCLUDE ASSAULT

BY STRANGULATION AND A

MISDEMEANOR CHILD ABUSE CHARGE,

BUT WERE VOLUNTARILY DISMISSED.

THOSE CHARGES WERE.

ANOTHER CHARGE WAS ASSAULT ON A

FEMALE WHERE THE VERDICT WAS

GUILTY.

WE DO NOT KNOW WHO THAT FEMALE

WAS.

NOW WE DID CHECK IN WITH THE

POLICE DEPARTMENT HERE ABOUT 15

MINUTES AGO TO SEE IF THEY HAVE

ANY ADDITIONAL DETAILS TO SHARE

WITH US ABOUT THIS CASE.

THEY SAY AT THIS POINT THEY

DON'T.

GERALD, AS YOU KNOW THIS

COMMUNITY HERE IN SANFORD, THEY

ARE SHARING A COLLECTIVE BREATH

THAT RILEY WAS FOUND.

>> ABSOLUTELY, VERY GLAD THAT

LITTLE GIRL WAS FOUND SAFE.

© WRAL