CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. — Authorities confirm they've asked the adoptive parents of the missing California city toddlers to submit to a lie detector test.
Cal City Police Chief Jon Walker confirmed Jacqueline and Trezell West were asked to take the test, the day after the couple reported 3-year-old Orson and 4-year-old Orrin West missing on Dec. 21.
The Wests have not been named suspects or persons of interest and have never been detained by authorities.
Thursday marks one month since the boys disappeared, according to Walker.
Since then, several rewardsoffered in the case have totaled $100,000 and CCPD have been receiving more than 20 tips a day. According to Walker, three of the department's 13 officers have been working the case daily, on top of the assistance from the Bakersfield Police Department, FBI and Kern County District Attorney Bureau of Investigators.
"The moral in the community ... I can feel it everyday, it's becoming more and more frustrated. I believe because they want to find the kids and I get that. But, the moral among my department is pretty much the same. We want answers."
In the search for those answers, here's what authorities have done so far in the case, according to Walker.
- Excavated the parents backyard, to make sure the boys weren't buried underneath
- Used search dogs which found the scent of the boys inside the home, but not outside as they were reported to be before disappearing
- Used cadaver dogs inside the home -- no scent of human remains detected.
- Search warrant used to collect items from the home, including adoptive parents cell phones, ipads and other electronic devices. Phones have since been returned.
- Adoptive parents van tested with luminol - no indication of blood found.
- Spoke neighbors in the area. No positive ID of any of the Wests 6 children. Walker says the family only moved to California City in September. They previously lived in Bakersfield.
- Searched adoptive parents previous properties in Bakersfield
- Searched former Saddle Ranch Resort property
According to Walker, the last time the boys were seen by anyone other than the Wests was by their grandmother in Bakersfield. Walker was unable to comment on when that occurred.
Before that, Walker said someone other than family also saw the boys in Bakersfield. Walker was unable to comment on that date as well.
