12-year-old from Pinal County found after running away on Tuesday

Queen Creek, Arizona (3TV/CBS 5) — Kelly “KJ” Conklin, a 12-year-old boy who ran away with his brother, was found Tuesday afternoon.

KJ was last seen at a Walmart in Queen Creek near the road between Rittenhouse and Ellsworth, also around 8pm on Tuesday. When his older brother, a 14-year-old boy, came home, investigators examined his parents.

According to the PCSO, detectives interviewed Conklin’s parents and other children in the home while investigating the boy’s disappearance. Kelly Conklin, 46, and her girlfriend, Melissa Conklin, 39, have been arrested on child abuse charges that her attorney says are not directly related to KJ’s disappearance. The two faced a judge on Friday afternoon. A $5,000 bond was set for Kelly and Melissa was released on her own admission.

A representative said the family had eight children, ranging in age from 1 to 17. According to PCSO, five companies, including KJ, have been hired. Two others are adopted and one is a biological child. The Child Safety Service is protecting the children, according to the PCSO.

PCSO is asking neighbors to check security cameras for video of two children walking near Combs and Gantzel roads on Tuesday afternoon. For some, the arrest wasn’t a shock, as they’d heard and seen Kelly Conklin make questionable parenting decisions.

Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.