The case of a missing Arizona teenager became even more complicated by the actions of a local reporter who allegedly spread false claims about the boy’s parents, prosecutors said.
Molly K. Ottman, 50, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of obstruction of a criminal investigation and fraudulent schemes, according to a press release by the Navajo County Attorney’s Office. The release stated that the charges came down on May 6, in the midst of an investigation into missing teenager, Jarrett Brooks, 18, who was last seen on July 4, 2023 when he was 16 years old.
Ottman, who is employed by the local newspaper Mountain Daily Star, allegedly alerted authorities after the teen went missing that social media posts “alluded to sexual activity between Brian Brooks and a minor child,” per the attorney’s office. Brian Brooks is the father of Jarrett Brooks, and Ottman allegedly told police that a Reddit account posting those messages belonged to the missing boy’s father.
According to prosecutors, Ottman contacted the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office about the posts in October 2023. Investigators then dedicated their resources to looking into the parents of the missing teen — including a search at the Brooks family home — and a private investigator whom the Brooks’ had employed to help them find their son.
Both the prosecutor’s office and the...
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