Calif. Marshals rescue 4 Rochester kids when mom skips town after custody verdict

CONCORD - Four Rochester children were reunited with their legal guardian on Thursday after the United States Marshals Service, in coordination with the Rochester Police Department and California lawmen, safely recovered them on Wednesday at a California motel, bringing a months-long investigation to an end.

The terrifying chain of events began on Feb. 4, when the Rochester Family Court awarded legal custody of the four children to their maternal aunt, Shayntel Cormier. The children's biological mother, Kristyanna Hall, 31, was ordered to relinquish custody on Feb. 10 by facilitating a transfer after school. She failed to follow the court's directive and instead is believed to have fled the state with all four children.

The Rochester Police Department initiated a criminal investigation after receiving credible information that Hall and the children may be in Murrieta, Calif., and on May 13 they solicited the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service District of New Hampshire to locate the children and apprehend Hall. After corroborating Hall's location, the USMS D/NH alerted the U.S. Marshals Service Central District of California, providing investigative leads and intelligence.

The USMS C/CA--along with investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office, and the Murrieta Police Department--successfully located and recovered the children at a motel in Ontario, Calif., on Wednesday. That same evening, the children were flown from Los Angeles International Airport to Logan International Airport in Boston, where they were reunited with their legal guardian, Cormier, Friday morning.

"We value the partnerships this department has with our regional and federal agencies," stated Rochester Police Chief Gary Boudreau. "We are pleased to see the results of these partnerships positively influencing the Rochester community."

"This case underscores the critical importance of interagency collaboration in protecting vulnerable children," said William R. Hart, Jr., United States Marshal for the District of New Hampshire. "We are grateful for the swift actions of our law enforcement partners in California and commend the Rochester Police Department for their persistence and dedication to this case."

Hall shows only one arrest by Rochester Police when she was charged with criminal threatening in November 2019.

Hall remains a fugitive, and the investigation into her whereabouts is ongoing. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ms. Hall is urged to contact local law enforcement or the U.S. Marshals Service.

The USMS New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force was formed in the fall of 2002 and is headquartered in the USMS office in Concord. The task force coordinates federal, state, county, and local resources to develop leads, gather intelligence, track and apprehend targeted fugitives. The Task Force receives vital support from Strafford, Merrimack and Rockingham Counties, as well as the cities of Manchester, Nashua and Concord.