Friday, 31 July 2026, 15:02
The indictment, unsealed Thursday, charges Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon against a federal employee, two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer. He originally faced two counts of kidnapping a federal employee and two counts of aiding and abetting.
Phoenix Jose Phillup Henrichsen, 23, is now charged only with two counts of kidnapping. The aiding and abetting charges against him were dropped, according to court records.
The two biologists were researching frog habitats at Gumboot Lake Campground when the men allegedly abducted them at gunpoint. Authorities said the victims were held in a camping trailer well past midnight, and Joseph Henrichsen, who was armed, forced each woman separately into a Forest Service vehicle for hours at a time.
The standoff lasted about 15 hours before law enforcement secured the release of the two biologists at about 1 a.m. on July 17.
If convicted on the kidnapping charges, Joseph Henrichsen faces up to life in prison on each count. Each assault with a deadly weapon charge carries up to 20 years in prison, and the brandishing charge carries a mandatory minimum of seven years. The assault on a federal officer charge carries up to one year.
Phoenix Henrichsen also faces up to life in prison on each kidnapping count if convicted.
The case has deep roots in Siskiyou County, a remote region near the Oregon border known for national forest land and outdoor recreation. Gumboot Lake Campground sits in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and the incident drew a heavy law enforcement response from multiple agencies.
The arraignment in Sacramento places the federal case in the Eastern District of California, where U.S. Forest Service employees and other federal workers frequently face risks while performing fieldwork in isolated areas.
Court records reviewed by The Sacramento Bee and The Bellingham Herald show Joseph Henrichsen was arrested in 2022 in Washington State after a pattern of terrorizing neighbors near Bellingham. The incidents included violent threats, fireworks, an assault on an elderly man and a loudspeaker playing allegations about neighbors. He served six months in county jail and was briefly held for psychiatric evaluation before release.
The new indictment signals that federal prosecutors are treating the alleged abduction with maximum severity. With arraignment set for Monday, the case will continue to unfold in federal court in Sacramento as both defendants face the possibility of life in prison.
