A tween boy in Oklahoma has been found over a week after he went missing. Ryan Davis, also known as RJ, disappeared late at night from the motel where he had allegedly been staying with his mom and stepfather. Quickly, an endangered missing persons bulletin was put out, and multiple organizations as well as concerned community members set out to find the boy. And then in a shocking turn of events, nearly a week after the boy went missing, his mom and stepfather were arrested on multiple counts of child abuse.
After he was found, state officials assured the public that the boy would be kept safe and never returned to his parents’ care.
“We can say that the outcome that we were all hoping for has come true. RJ Davis was found safe. He’s doing well,” an official from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation told the media after announcing the boy’s rescue, The Independent reported.
Shaun Schraeder, a member of the United Cajun Navy, the volunteer group that located Davis, also spoke. “To say we’re excited is an understatement. I mean, we’ve been on plenty of these when it’s been the other way, so when you get to bring one home, it’s pretty rewarding. It’s quite the high,” he said.
During a press conference on January 11, 2026, the bureau of investigation said he was found around noon that day, KOKH reported. He was found in Caddo County near Cement, but the agency did not elaborate. it announced that Ryan Davis was in state custody and that it was working with the Department of Human Services to put him in a safe home.
“We can assure you, RJ was found safe, and at this point, he will not go back to that property or to those parents,” shared the bureau’s public information officer, Hunter McKee.
After he was found, RJ was checked out by first responders and law enforcement. He was doing well. “He will be put into a safe home, which he deserves at this time moving forward, of course,” McKee said.
Ryan “RJ” Davis, who also goes by the name Ryker Cole, was reported missing after he was last seen around 11 p.m. January 2, 2026, KOCO reported. The 12-year-old’s last known location was the Quality Inn in Chickasha. On January 6, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued an endangered missing advisory.
The following day, officials from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced it was joining the investigation, calling the case a “suspicious disappearance.”
“When it gets to a point where it’s multiple days and we’re still not sure what, where this boy had gone, it’s suspicious,” McKee said at the time, per KOKO.
On January 8, 33-year-old Kimberly Cole, the boy’s biological mother, and his stepfather, 43-year-old George Cole, were arrested, the bureau announced in a press conference.
“It was learned that there was apparent harm done to this child while he was living with these two parents,” McKee said at the time.
George Cole was charged with eight counts of child abuse, one count of child sexual abuse, and one count of child neglect, per KOCO. Shortly after hearing the charges, the man attempted to take his own life, according to a news release from the Caddo County District Attorney, KOCO reported. He is alive and was taken to the hospital to undergo testing.
Kimberly Cole was charged with three counts of child abuse, three counts of child neglect, two counts of child sexual abuse, two counts of crimes against nature, and one count of conspiracy. According to Oklahoma state statute §21-886, crimes against nature are described as “detestable and abominable” committed to a person or animal.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
