EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A toddler who was the subject of a custody dispute in El Paso County has been safely recovered after an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO).
EPSO says the investigation began Nov. 8, 2025, when deputies were notified of a suspected violation of a court-ordered custody arrangement involving the child.
According to EPSO, the reporting party told deputies they had been granted full custody of the toddler, but the child’s mother, 30-year-old Aleyha Murphy, allegedly refused to comply with the court order and return the child.
Deputies were initially unable to locate Murphy or the toddler and obtained an arrest warrant for Murphy. The sheriff’s office said deputies with its Patrol Division and Civil Unit made several attempts to find them but were unsuccessful.
On Aug. 22, the Colorado Springs Police Department located and arrested Murphy. She was booked into the El Paso County Jail on suspicion of violating a custody order and later released on a $2,000 bond, according to EPSO. The toddler remained missing at that time.
On Sept. 9, detectives say they executed a search warrant at Murphy’s residence on Rubicon Drive in unincorporated El Paso County. Evidence recovered during the search led investigators to an address of interest in Aurora associated with the child’s grandfather, 54-year-old David McGhee.
EPSO said their detectives then contacted the Aurora Police Department’s Fugitives and Narcotics Unit for assistance. Investigators confirmed the child was in the 14000 block of Olmstead Drive in Denver.
On Oct. 8, the Aurora Police Department coordinated with Denver Metro SWAT to execute the arrest warrant. McGhee was arrested, and the toddler was found, according to the sheriff’s office.
EPSO says medical personnel evaluated the child before the toddler was safely returned to the custodial parent.
McGhee was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of second-degree kidnapping, attempting to influence a public servant and harboring a minor. He was released Oct. 9 on a $3,000 bond, according to EPSO.
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