A man and his adult son have been charged with kidnapping two federal biologists at gunpoint in a Northern California forest last week, leading to an hourslong standoff with law enforcement . Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Monday but did not enter pleas to charges of kidnapping a federal employee and aiding and abetting.
An affidavit filed in support of the charges alleges that on Thursday morning, Joseph Henrichsen approached two U.S. Forest Service staff biologists who were on the job near Gumboot Lake Campground in Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The pair, who have not been identified, were conducting research for a study on frog habitats.
Joseph, carrying an AR-15-style rifle, went up to them in a remote section of forest about 290 miles north of San Francisco and zip-tied their hands behind their backs, the affidavit says. He then ordered them to a nearby trailer, where Phoenix joined them, according to the document. The two were mostly held there, though Joseph is alleged to have put one, described only as a woman, in the Forest Service Nissan the biologists were originally riding in and driven her several miles away, using her phone to make several calls and leaving a message for a federal forest ranger.
“I’ve taken two fed biologists hostage from the Forest Service,” Joseph said in the message, the affidavit alleges. “I’m driving in the ranger vehicle right now.” “Her hands are behind her f---ing back, and I’ve got live rounds ready,” Joseph continued, the court documents allege, before he asked for a federal investigator, preferably from the FBI, to “talk things through a little bit.” They then returned to the trailer, where the victims were held for hours at gunpoint, according to the affidavit, which alleges that at one point during negotiations with law enforcement, Joseph said he had a grenade and threatened to use it unless officers backed away. Negotiators were ultimately able to get the kidnappers to release the victims after 1 a.m.
Friday, before they surrendered, authorities said. Charging documents do not list a possible motive. “I am not able to go beyond what is included in that filing,” Lauren Horwood, spokesperson for the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, said by email Monday. Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said at a news conference Friday that the suspects were not known to law enforcement. Property records show Joseph Henrichsen lived in Orange County, about 580 miles southeast of where the incident happened, for several years.
Court records indicate he was arrested in Whatcom County, Washington, in 2022. According to the Bellingham Herald newspaper , he was accused of throwing fireworks at the home of a neighbor whose landlord was of Russian and Ukrainian descent, leaving homemade handcuffs and a note that said “Assassinate Vlad Putin” on the front door, and walking around carrying a gun. The case, which included a hate crime charge, was dismissed because the state was unable to provide psychiatric treatment to Joseph in a timely manner, the paper reported.
The latest charges against the Henrichsens were filed Friday. If they are convicted of kidnapping a federal employee, they could be imprisoned for life. It’s not clear whether the two have legal counsel.
The federal defender’s office for the region did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A preliminary examination was scheduled for Aug. 3.
Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers the Western U.S., specializing in crime, courts and homeland security. Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
