Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 5:37
Two U.S. Forest Service employees were kidnapped and held captive for nearly 15 hours in a remote Northern California campground before their captors, a father and son, surrendered to authorities early Friday. The incident unfolded at Gumboot Lake near Mount Shasta, triggering a massive multi-agency law enforcement response.
The confrontation began at about 10:55 a.m. Thursday, when the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Forest Service law enforcement officer. Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, had two agency employees restrained inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake, Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said. Henrichsen stated he had firearms and ammunition and wanted to speak with the FBI. Using one of the victims’ phones to make a call, a suspect said he had “taken two fed (employees) hostage from the Forest Service” and he had “live rounds ready,” federal prosecutors said.
Deputies and the county’s special response team reached the isolated area around noon. Drones identified the trailer shortly after 1 p.m., but negotiations did not begin until about 4:20 p.m. The first employee was released shortly before 2 a.m. Friday, and the second about 15 minutes later. Joseph and Phoenix Henrichsen surrendered around 2:30 a.m. Less than an hour later, law enforcement was able to “successfully communicate” with one of the suspects, which led to the father and son walking out of the trailer together.
Joseph Henrichsen had an AR-15-style rifle and knives and claimed to possess grenades, according to FBI Sacramento Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh. Authorities did not confirm whether explosives were found. The trailer was privately owned and did not belong to the Forest Service.
Shasta County sent about 30 personnel, including SWAT officers, snipers, hostage negotiators, a bomb squad, and drone operators. The FBI dispatched its Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico, Virginia, aboard a Boeing 757 due to the potential for escalation. “Crisis situations like this don’t often result in everyone leaving the scene safely,” Tosh said.
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the Forest Service coordinated an initial response with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. “From there, this was a joint law enforcement operation, led by the FBI, with our officers coordinating and supporting on the ground, along with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and law enforcement partners from eight counties,” Schultz said Friday, adding his gratitude for all who assisted. Sheriff LaRue also credited the California Office of Emergency Services, Mount Shasta Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, CAL FIRE, other local fire departments, and law enforcement from the Forest Service and FBI. “Our teams did an amazing job. It was a large incident, and what I can tell you is it’s probably the smoothest thing that I’ve seen in many years,” LaRue said.
Schultz also revealed that he stayed in contact with FBI Director Kash Patel and the White House during the ordeal, stating, “because nothing matters more than the safety of the people who serve this country.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Saturday that he was “proud of the immediate and professional work” of the agency teams that responded to the scene.
At a news conference, Schultz spoke about how the kidnapping “has been a frightening experience for everyone involved, for our employees, their families, their co-workers, and frankly, for all of us who care about the people who serve this agency and the public every day.” Schultz added, “I am grateful beyond words the workers are home safe.”
The Gumboot Lake area lies west of Interstate 5 near Mount Shasta, accessed by a narrow, one-lane road through rugged terrain. The location made it difficult to quickly assemble resources, said Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson. “This is remote Northern California, out in a rural area where it’s tough to get resources in and out. It’s a small, one-lane road. It’s probably about 2,000 elevation, up in a campsite area. It is rough terrain, and different than handling an incident within a city or an urban environment and having all these resources readily available.” The Forest Service temporarily closed Gumboot Campground and lakes for public safety but did not disclose the hostage situation during negotiations.
The employees were performing routine seasonal work in the forest when they were taken hostage. Authorities declined to release their names or specific duties. Neither suspect appeared to have a significant prior history with local law enforcement, LaRue said. The investigation remains ongoing.
Newspaper articles and social media indicate that the father and son previously lived in Washington. In 2022, the Bellingham Herald reported that Joseph Charles Henrichsen had been accused of a hate crime for allegedly harassing his landlords. A judge ruled Henrichsen incompetent to stand trial but the case was dismissed due to delays in admitting him to a state hospital.
According to an FBI affidavit, Joseph Henrichsen told a dispatcher that he had been “in the military” and had “mental health issues.” He also said he had been “off his meds” and that he and his son were “survivalists.” The affidavit further stated that the two employees were zip-tied and held at gunpoint, and that Henrichsen threatened to kill them if his demands were not met.
Dashcam footage shows armed officers in tactical gear hitching a ride from a passing pickup truck.
According to the FBI, the two employees were Forest Service law enforcement officers who were conducting an investigation into illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands when they were taken hostage. The suspects, Joseph and Phoenix Henrichsen, were reportedly living in a trailer on the property and had been growing marijuana. The father and son were charged with kidnapping of federal employees and assault on federal officers.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said the workers were targeted because of their affiliation with the federal government. “They were targeted because they were federal employees,” LaRue said. “This was not a random act.”
The two female Forest Service employees were conducting field work near Gumboot Lake Campground when Joseph Henrichsen allegedly approached them while armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle, according to the criminal complaint. He then allegedly used zip ties to bind their wrists behind their backs and led them to a remote trailer. Phoenix Henrichsen is accused of aiding and abetting his father in the kidnapping; he allegedly “kept watch” and stayed in the trailer when his father was not inside it. The suspects were ordered detained during their initial appearance on Monday, and a preliminary examination has been scheduled for Aug. 3. Joseph Henrichsen's attorney, Meghan McLoughlin, said in a statement, “There is often more to these cases than the government's allegations, and the criminal process will reveal Mr. Henrichsen's story as well.” An attorney for his son declined to comment.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced that Joseph Charles Henrichsen and Phoenix Henrichsen were charged with kidnapping of federal employees. The charges were filed in the Eastern District of California.
According to federal prosecutors, Joseph Henrichsen claimed to have grenades and threatened to use them during the standoff. The FBI's Hostage Rescue Team was deployed from Quantico, Virginia, and the suspects eventually surrendered after hours of negotiations.
The safe release of the Forest Service employees brought relief to their families and the broader community. Federal charges of kidnapping federal employees are expected to be filed against the Henrichsens. Authorities continue to investigate the motive behind the abduction. If convicted, the Henrichsens face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
