- [Narrator] What is up, EWU Crew? Today's case is one you just
might remember from the news, as it has recently touched
many across the U.S. This case is disturbing and ongoing, filled with many unanswered questions and even a few surprising twists you may not have caught
in the news coverage. Today, we are exploring the case of the missing California City boys. Let's get into it. In 2019, the long-time couple, Trezell and Jacqueline
West officially adopted two young boys, three-year-old Orson and four-year-old Orrin, who they had been fostering since 2018. With the boys now permanent
members of their family, the Wests moved the bright
and curious toddlers to live in the desert town of
California City in Kern County, with their four other children, two who they had also adopted, and two who are their biological children. The family of eight had moved from Bakersfield in September of 2020. It took months to settle
in, but it soon appeared that the family seemed to be flourishing. But just before Christmas, tragedy struck. Despite living in the desert,
the family was feeling the holiday spirit on December 21st, 2020. The boys' adoptive father, Trezell, went outside to collect some firewood while Jacqueline was inside the house wrapping up the kids' Christmas presents. Trezell said he saw his
adopted boys, Orrin and Orson, inside the house as he headed outdoors. After gathering some firewood,
Trezell went back inside, but quickly realized that
the boys were no longer where he had last seen them,
and after a thorough search of the house, Trezell realized that the toddlers might've
snuck outside after him. It was then that he realized
he had made a tragic error. He had mistakenly left the back gate open. Panicking, Trezell told Jacqueline that he couldn't find the boys and he searched the house again before searching their backyard, but there was no sign of
the boys there, either. It was looking like they
had completely vanished from their California City home. Trezell went in search
of the youngest members of the West family and jumped
into his trademark white van to look through the
neighborhood in the hope that the boys had come
out of the backyard gate and were wandering around close by. But after searching through the area until the sun began to set without any clue where the boys had gone, Jacqueline called the police and reported that they were missing. Investigators descended on the area, eager to find the toddlers
as soon as possible but they couldn't find any sign
of where they may have gone or what could have happened to them. It appeared that the
young boys had disappeared without a trace from
their very own backyard. Local police began
conducting vast searches and soon the FBI also became
involved in the investigations. But what may be most
baffling of all is the fact that there was no physical evidence that a crime had even occurred
besides the boys disappearing which immediately stunted any
strong investigative leads. The day after the boys went missing, their biological mother, Ryan Dean, came to Bakersfield to be involved in assisting with the search. According to her, the boys' birth names were
Cinsere and Classic Pettus. She reportedly explained,
"I was living fine with them before they came and got them. A small incident happened." This incident Dean referenced reportedly involved Child
Protective Services extricating the boys from her care in early 2018. Dean explained, "I was at work. I noticed my baby's cry
wasn't normal when I got home and I took him straight to the hospital. They said his femur bone
was broken and twisted." Dean maintains that she doesn't
know how the injury happened but nonetheless, her sons were taken away and renamed once adopted by the Wests. Reportedly, she last saw the
boys around Christmas in 2018. When Dean arrived in
Bakersfield, she spoke to news outlets where
she made the statement, "I just had to be here because my babies are supposedly
missing from this house. So I just need to be here now." She would later elaborate on her telling use of
the word "supposedly." On December 23rd, just two days
after the boys went missing, Jacqueline West made a
statement about Orrin and Orson, saying, "They do not just
roam around these patches. I think definitely they
would have been picked up or something." Yet it is now reported that
almost in direct contradiction with her earlier statement, Jacqueline and Trezell later speculated
that the boys could be roaming through the California desert, though there is no
evidence for this claim. But their guess is as good as any, as there was so little evidence about what had truly happened. Also on December 23rd, Jacqueline and Trussell
gave a public interview. Some of their answers and
observed behavior were seen as shady and suspicious
by many online sleuths. Before we get into some
of the speculation raised by the interview, we emphasize
that all parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty, and that we have no way
to confirm the validity of the theories raised
by internet commentary. - We just want to thank everyone in the community for all
the support we've seen. We've felt so helpless and
seeing everybody out here really looking and helping
out really means a lot. - [Narrator] Attention was
first drawn to the fact that Jacqueline did not
immediately express any concern for the boys as one would
expect from a mother. But instead, she talked
about how they felt helpless. This observation became even more evident when Trezell began to explain
what happened that night, and he too didn't express
fear for the boys' safety but instead explains in unnecessary detail what he was doing at the time. - It was cold. I was going to make a fire. So a lot of wood in this area
right here next to our house. I open up the back
gate, I'm throwing wood, bringing it inside the house, My wife's inside, she was
actually wrapping gifts so we thought it was
a good idea that they, our youngest two go
outside and play with chalk on the back patio. Do not let them go on
the dirt in the backyard, we keep them close. They was playing with chalk
and I came in the house, I saw them there, go in
the house, I came back out, I didn't see them there. I immediately went back in, asked my wife, "Did you see the boys?" She said, "No, they should be
outside playing with chalk." I said, "Well, I didn't see them." So I came back outside
and I started searching my backyard and I
searched the whole thing. I realized that I left the
gate open and I panicked, came inside the house, searched
the house, me and my wife. Once that hadn't panned
out, I got in the van, I looked down the street
in both directions. It was getting dark, getting
cold, and I got in the van and I hit a bunch of corners. I went down this street,
I turned my light on, I searched, I searched,
I called their names. I talked to a gentleman on
the street on the other side over there, he didn't see anything. So then I came home and I told my wife, "We need to call the cops. It's getting dark and I need help. We gotta get going." - Comments have been made that it seemed like Trezell was creating
an alibi for himself by making sure that all of his
movements were accounted for in detail. Throughout almost the entire interview, the parents rarely
refer to Orrin and Orson or appear to express noticeable
concern for their welfare. Something else that was observed by internet analysts is the fact that after Trezell says
the boys were playing with chalk outside, he also said that he "came in
the house, saw them there." - I came in the house, I saw them there. Go in the house, came back
out, I didn't see them there. I immediately went back in, asked my wife, "Did you see the boys?" She said, "No, they should be
outside playing with chalk." I said, "Well, I didn't see them." So I came back outside and I
started searching my backyard. I searched the whole thing. - [Narrator] Trezell talks
about the events of the night out of sequence, and it makes it unclear if the boys were outside
or inside at the time that they went missing. As well, some people now
wonder if something happened to the boys inside the house and Trezell accidentally revealed it. The slip-up was seen as suspicious especially because Trezell speaks clearly without issue for most of the interview. However, giving Trezell
the benefit of the doubt, it is understandable that
a bereaved parent may speak out of order when they are under duress. Another incident which
has sparked many comments below the interview is the
moment when Trezell appears to stumble over past or present tense when he refers to the boys. - Our boys, they are going
to be rambunctious, okay? (clears throat) They are
going to be here in this area. - He pauses before emphasizing,
"They ARE going to be" and then appears to become
annoyed with himself and groans. Both of these instances
have made some speculate that the boys may in fact be deceased and that the parents are
having a hard time remembering to talk about them in present tense. Focusing on Jacqueline
who speaks less frequently than her husband, she appears
to stumble over her words when she is asked what
she wants the people at home to understand about the situation. - [Reporter] What do you
guys want people at home to understand about this
situation for them, you know, even speaking about what you
guys are feeling is difficult. What do you want them
at home to understand about the whole situation? - We're going through it, it's difficult. I mean, everybody's making
their own assum-, you know, their own conclusions. They don't know anything. We don't, we're not sure
exact-, like everything. We're not sure. We said what we knew and
if anybody has seen them or anything, please call
the police department. - [Narrator] She once again
talks about herself and how her and her husband feel before
she mentions the boys. A few online sleuths have
pointed out what they see as a resemblance between
Trezell's body language, such as holding his arms
crossed tightly over his chest and the similar way that
Chris Watts hugged himself in his own TV interview. Other comments have pointed
out how Jacqueline bounces and nods throughout the interview and looks as if she's distracted. Online sleuths see both
behaviors as nervous, a sign that they are
lying or hiding something. Though all of this is clearly
only speculation and opinion, it is interesting to consider nonetheless. Police search canines
were brought in to pick up on the boys' trail and
hopefully lead to them, but the first search yielded nothing but the boys' scent inside the
home, nothing from outside. Cadaver dogs were then brought in, which also found nothing of note. Police have explicitly stated
that they can not rule out the chance of foul play being involved in the boys' disappearance. In fact, California City Police Chief
John Walker would clarify that he does suspect foul play, but that he wasn't comfortable
commenting on whether or not he thought the
boys would be found alive. As investigators began
canvassing the neighborhood in the hopes of finding someone who had seen something that
could help in the search, a strange detail was uncovered, one that the police weren't
sure what to make of. None of the neighbors in the
area could recall ever seeing the two boys outside the
Wests' home at any time. It isn't clear exactly what
this detail could mean, but it is a curious note to say the least. Numerous interviews have been conducted and more than 20 search
warrants have been executed in search of the boys, and police have entered
homes in Bakersfield and California City in
the hope of finding clues. The Wests' home had
been thoroughly searched on multiple occasions,
including digging up almost the entirety of the backyard, but nothing has been found. Police had no persons of
interest, nevermind any suspects. During the searches for Orrin and Orson, there were two separate instances of human remains discovered. In Bakersfield, bones that
were believed to belong to a human foot were found and near Rosamond, hikers
found more human remains. Both of these discoveries
were unrelated to the boys but served as chilling
reminders of what could occur in the desert wilderness
near the boys' home. What is truly remarkable about this case is the public's response and the generosity and care
that total strangers have lent out to the adoptive and
biological family of the two boys. The communities of both California City and Bakersfield have rallied together in the hopes of eventually
finding the toddlers. Reportedly, a woman in
Bakersfield used her own money to make 200 banners to
help bring attention to the boys' disappearance. These banners have been
sent to surrounding states and one was even sent into Canada. Duty Ron was one of nine people who have offered up
reward money in the hopes of encouraging information
from anyone who might know what happened to the boys. Ron began with $2,000, which he has recently increased to $3,000. The West family themselves
have garnered together a reward as well, which
started at $30,000, but with the help of
extended family members they have raised the reward to $120,000 for any information that would help in locating Orrin and Orson. Police Chief Walker revealed that the adoptive West parents
were asked to participate in a lie detector test,
but he didn't clarify if this step was ever taken except to say that the parents have been
cooperative in police efforts. Sometime after the boys' disappearance the Wests moved back to Bakersfield. Over a week after Orrin
and Orson went missing, their biological mother came forward and stated that she blamed the Wests for their disappearance. She clarified her allegations by saying, "They did something. I feel like my kids are
somewhere around here. I can feel it." She also reportedly said, "I don't have not one
evil bone in my body, and for this to happen to
me, it's a lot for me." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has
provided a sobering statistic, saying that non-family
abductions only accounted for less than 1% of the
30,000 missing children cases which they saw in 2020. In other words, the
likelihood of someone outside of the boys' family being
involved does appear to be low, though not impossible. Trezell eventually responded
to Dean's accusations, saying, "That's understandable. I would think the same thing. That's exactly the point, and
if we can find our babies, that's all I want is, to find our babies." His wife, Jacqueline, also
added her own comment, saying, "It's difficult. Everyone is making their own conclusions. They don't know anything." And unfortunately it appears that Jacqueline's comment is correct. No one appears to have any
idea what happened to the boys. As the search continued,
it took a gruesome turn, as investigators began looking for possible gravesites where
the boys may have ended up. Police Chief Walker has
commented that so far, that line of inquiry has
only led them to digging up the remains of a coyote,
a dog, and three sheep. The police also searched
a lake in the area after they had received tips saying that they've seen evidence
of bodies in the lake. Though all inquiries appeared
to be going nowhere at all, a huge twist in the case
was eventually revealed. One of the Wests' neighbors came forward with security camera footage from the day that the boys went missing. It shows Trezell at 5:33
PM exiting his house in his white van and beginning
to look for the boys, which is consistent with the statement he and
his wife gave to police. The footage timestamp is
apparently one hour off. Six minutes after leaving the
house, Trezell returns home. Also seen on the footage
is the police arriving at the home at 5:53, five minutes after the Wests called for them at 5:48. Two figures can be seen
approaching the police vehicle, assumed to be Trezell and Jacqueline. Then Trezell once again
heads out in his van to search the neighborhood for the boys, while the police start
looking in the backyard. Speculators online have commented that they wonder what occurred
when Trezell returned home at 5:39 as the Wests called
for police 10 minutes later. Many people are wondering
what they were doing during that 10 minutes. So far, the Wests have not commented on this particular piece of information. Unfortunately, the neighbor's
footage does not show enough of the backyard to indicate
if the children were there or where they went,
though it does show enough that a dog can be seen on
the other side of the fence. But this isn't even the
most interesting piece of information that the
neighbor's footage revealed. Eyewitness News from
Bakersfield now acquired more of that same security footage,
this time from December 19th, two days before the boys went missing. The Wests allegedly told police that they took all of their children with them to go Christmas
shopping in Bakersfield. Yet the footage shows an adult
holding open the car door while only four children
get into the white van. The Wests' other two
children can not be seen entering the van. Then, later that same day, two adults, presumably Trezell and
Jacqueline, return to the home without any children with them. Reportedly, the Wests
explain that they dropped off four of their children, not
including Orrin and Orson, at a family member's home. They reportedly never
explained where the boys were as they weren't seen returning home, but they also don't appear to have left with the family to go shopping and to the family member's house either. The only public comment
on this curious matter that Police Chief Walker has given was to say December 19th was the last day that the other four children say that they saw Orrin and Orson, an entire two days before
they were reported missing. Walker has also had to publicly request that the community not
trespass on the West property because a man had allegedly
posted a YouTube video of him in the family's backyard. Walker asserts that this
man is being searched for and will be arrested if located. Wanda West, the children's
grandmother, has come forward to say, "I just know they
were really good parents as far as I'm concerned." Sadly, after months of
looking for the boys with no new clues, suspects,
or persons of interest, the efforts to find the
boys have slowly dwindled as people lose hope. Though investigators have
received over 2,500 tips about the case and they have
carefully looked into each, nothing solid has come from them. The missing toddlers are the
youngest of 31 missing children from California as listed on the California Attorney General's site. At the time of this video, it has now been around two and a half months
since the boys went missing. They were last seen wearing black sweaters and dark sweatpants. Both are about three feet tall and each weigh around 40 pounds. Anyone with information can call the California City Police
Department at (760) 373-8606.
