NEW MEXICO — The five people arrested after authorities discovered 11 malnourished children living on a filthy hidden compound in New Mexico are set to appear in court Wednesday.
Authorities raided the compound in Amalia as part of their search for Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, whose father allegedly abducted him from Georgia in November, when he was 3.
Abdul-Ghani was not among the children discovered living in squalor at the compound, but searchers found the remains of a little boy at the site Monday, and are awaiting positive identification, Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said.
Investigators also found several items at the compound, including ammunition, white tarp, a camcorder, and a passport and Georgia identification for the boy’s father, Siraj Wahhaj.
The day the remains were found, Abdul-Ghani would have turned 4.
The big break came after a message
For months, investigators have searched for the little boy with no success. Their big break came Thursday, when law enforcement officials received a message, setting off a series of actions that led them to the compound the next day.
“We are starving and need food and water,” the message said, according to authorities, who said it was forwarded to them, but did not provide additional details on its origin.
When officers executed a search warrant on the compound, they found a horrifying scene. Stacks of tires, piles of trash and plastic sheets surrounded the compound. Obscured by the junk was a trailer where the 11 children and five adults were living.
The children wore dirty rags for clothing with no shoes, and were surrounded by an array of weapons and rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
“It was the saddest living conditions and poverty I have seen,” Hogrefe said.
For months, authorities have searched for the little boy whose father allegedly abducted him late last year from Clayton County, Georgia.
The boy’s father was arrested at the compound Friday along with his sisters, Hujrah Wahhaj and Subhannah Wahhaj, and two other adults — Lucas Morten and Jany Leveille. All have been charged with abuse of the 11 children. Morten was charged with harboring a fugitive.
Neighbors raised alarm on the suspect
Jason Badger and his wife Tanya, whose land the compound was on, said they saw Abdul-Ghani in January and February.
In April, they discovered the boy was listed as missing and his father a fugitive. They reported the sightings to state and local law enforcement, but it was months before police moved in, the couple said.
New Mexico authorities had long suspected the father and son may be at the compound after learning about the abduction in May, the sheriff said. But there was not enough evidence for a search warrant and surveillance of the property didn’t identify the pair there.
“I had no probable cause to go onto this property … In hindsight I wish there was but we would not have been there lawfully,” Hogrefe said.
Everything changed Thursday, when authorities said they received a tip about possible starving children living on the compound, and had enough probable cause to put in an affidavit for a search warrant.
“They were dragging their feet they were taking too long, even if they were trying to build a case or what not, a child’s life is at stake,” Tanya Badger said.
The couple went back to the property to look for Abdul-Ghani after they found out he wasn’t among the children discovered during the raid.
The Badgers told CNN they found two breathing machines. One machine had “a little bitty mask,” Jason Badger said.
“Clearly, you could tell it was made for a child,” he said.
They also found what looked like a shooting range, with tires stacked up to stop the bullets, bullet holes and casings at the compound. Also on the property, Jason Badger described what looked like “an escape tunnel” that extended 150 feet and had nooks that contained sleeping bags.
The boy’s father allegedly took him in November
Abdul-Ghani’s mother, Hakima Ramzi, could not be reached after authorities announced the discovery of the remains.
But hours earlier, Ramzi told CNN she had no idea he’d disappear with their son for nine months, only to be found across the country with 11 other children.
“My husband said he was taking Abdul-Ghani to the park, and didn’t come back. That was in November 2017. When I would ask him where he was, he said he was on his way, he was coming soon, he was just keeping him for the night. But I haven’t seen him since then,” Ramzi said Tuesday.
She said the little boy cannot walk and suffers seizures, and requires constant medical attention.
An arrest warrant states that Wahhaj “wanted to perform an exorcism” on the child because he believed he was possessed by the devil.
But Ramzi said her husband was planning to perform a ruqya — an Islamic practice involving prayer that is believed to help rid a body of illness.
“It’s not an exorcism. That was a translation issue in the court,” Ramzi said. He “just wanted to pray for Abdul-Ghani to get better.”
Suspect’s father is a religious leader
Wahhaj’s father — Siraj Wahhaj — is a prominent and controversial New York imam.
The imam was the first Muslim to offer an opening prayer before the US House of Representatives, the Muslim Alliance in North America said. He was also a character witness for convicted 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Omar Abdel-Rahman.
In January, Imam Siraj Wahhaj posted a message on Facebook calling for the safe return of his three children and 12 grandchildren. He said the younger Wahhaj and two of the women arrested — Hujrah and Subhannah Wahhaj — are his children.
Police stopped the father in Alabama
In December, days after Ramzi reported her son missing, the child’s father was involved in an accident in Alabama, according to a police report. The SUV had seven children — but none of them was listed with Abdul-Ghani’s date of birth.
But at the time, the group told Alabama police they were headed to New Mexico for camping, and continued on their way.
Even though the boy was reported missing, there was no child abduction warrant against Wahhaj because he was married to his son’s mother and they both had equal custody, Clayton County police said.
The SUV was registered to Leveille, who was also in the vehicle. She would later become one of the five adults arrested at the compound in New Mexico.
The children were taken into protective custody and later turned over to the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department.
