DES MOINES, IOWA — A Des Moines couple is facing misdemeanor charges after reporting their son missing during an out-of-state trip, only to be told that he’d actually been abandoned by them at a local park – police say. Chancee Mariah Raelynn Daggett Buford, 31, and Jacob Preston Morrill, 30, are each charged with Child Endangerment as well as Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Public Intoxication.

According to online court documents, Daggett Buford and Morrill called Des Moines Police on Tuesday to report their seven-year-old son missing. The couple told police they were returning from a family trip to Kansas City and their son must have gotten out of the car at some point in the trip and was left behind.

As they were making this report to police, however, their son arrived at their home in the company of two adults. They reported to police that they found the boy walking along Fleur Drive near the Des Moines Airport. The boy told his parents that they had taken him to a park in Des Moines then drove off without him.

Police report that both Daggett Buford and Morrill were intoxicated at the time they were making the police report. Authorities also say that Daggett Buford was hiding marijuana in her bra at the time of her arrest, leading to an additional Drug Possession charge.

A no-contact order has been entered against Daggett Buford and Morrill that prevents them from contacting any of their children. The children are now in the custody of family members. Daggett Buford and Morrill are due in court again on May 12th.