A West Virginia couple was arrested Sunday in South Carolina after allegedly fleeing the state with their biological child despite not having legal custody, according to West Virginia State Police.
Darries L. Fauntleroy and Megan R. Fauntleroy, both 40, of Montrose, were each charged with felony conspiracy and taking a minor child from a lawful custodian out of the state of West Virginia, troopers said.
Authorities stated the 7-year-old child was in the custody of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) at the time of the incident. While the Fauntleroys are the child’s biological parents, investigators said neither had legal custody, and Megan Fauntleroy was allegedly prohibited from being in contact with the child.
Troopers said WVDHHR reported the child was taken from the area, prompting an investigation involving the West Virginia State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and South Carolina law enforcement agencies. The couple was located and arrested in Kingstree, South Carolina, with assistance from the Kingstree Police Department, the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Both suspects are currently being held while awaiting extradition back to West Virginia.
The child was safely recovered and is now in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, pending a return to WVDHHR, authorities said.