Jennifer and James Crumbley’s SUV found in Detroit
The parents of the Michigan teenager who shot at his school in Michigan earlier this week were reportedly seen parking their SUV late Friday night in Detroit. Both local police officers and federal agents continued to search for them.
Jennifer and James Crumbley’s black 2021 Kia Seltos SUV was discovered in a residential area of the Motor City, which is about 50 miles from their Oxford home, sources told Detroit’s WVID.
The couple went missing just hours after they were each charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with their son Ethan Crumbley’s deadly attack.
The apparent runaways took out $4,000 from an ATM in Rochester Hills, about 10 to 15 miles from Oxford on Friday, and also turned their cellphones off, meaning authorities can’t ping their whereabouts, law-enforcement sources told CNN.
A reward of up to $10,000 was being offered for information leading to the capture of Jennifer and James each, federal agents announced Friday night, as they released “Wanted” posters of the pair, which said they said could be armed.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald blasted the parents as “irresponsible” for not immediately turning themselves in.
“The Crumbleys are at large because they are continuously irresponsible. They promised to turn themselves in and did not,” McDonald said in a statement. “We have been in constant communication with sheriff’s office investigators, and we are confident that the Crumbleys will be apprehended.”
The charges for Jennifer and James — which experts said were very rare in such a case — stem from having purchased a gun for the teen in the days ahead of the shooting and for failing to take action when alerted to Ethan’s distressing behavior, according to prosecutors.
According to reports, the teenager opened fire Tuesday on Oxford High School teachers and classmates killing four people and injuring seven others. He was taken into custody without bail and charged with four counts first-degree murder as well as one count terrorist causing the death.
Jennifer and James were earlier Friday notified by attorneys that they had evacuated the city for safety reasons and weren’t trying to avoid law enforcement.
“Crumbleys left town on the night of the tragic shooting for their own safety,” lawyers Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman said in a statement, adding they would turn themselves in.
“On Thursday night we contacted the Oakland County prosecutor to discuss this matter and to advise her that James and Jennifer Crumbley would be turning themselves in to be arraigned,” the statement said. “Instead of communicating with us, the prosecutor held a press conference to announce charges.”