On Tuesday (Sept. 26), Coeur d’Alene (Idaho) sheriffs contacted Joel Long, Angelina Hinson, and her sons, Dexter and Braxton in an unrelated non-criminal contact. Dexter and Braxton were taken into protective custody. No arrests were made but criminal investigations are active.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is asking for assistance from members of the community with efforts to locate two children involved in a familial child abduction.
Angelina Hinson is the mother of seven-year-old Dexter and 15-year-old Braxton Hinson. As of September 2023, lawful custody of Angelina’s children had been awarded entirely to the children’s father. Angelina has no claim to guardianship of either child and a protection order is in place barring her from contacting them.
On Friday (Sept. 15), it’s believed Angelina abducted her two children from outside their school in Vancouver. She was aided by her romantic partner, Joel Long. There is now an open Kidnapping and Custodial Interference investigation into Joel Long and Angelina Hinson (respectively) and both children are considered missing persons.
There is currently no articulable risk of imminent danger to either child, or to the community, but efforts are underway to locate them. They may be associated with a Chevy Sonic bearing WA plate BXZ0985 or a dark gray Hyundai Elantra with dealer temporary plates.
The VPD provided photographs depicting the children in the clothing from the day of their abduction. Angelina and Joel’s clothing is unknown, but they are likely making efforts to avoid detection.
Angelina June Hinson is a 40-year-old white female, 5-foot-3 and 170 pounds with brown hair/bleached blonde hair.
Joel Matthew Long is a 39-year-old white male, 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Dexter Hinson is a seven-year-old white male, approximately 4-foot-6 with green eyes and brown hair
Braxton Hinson is a 15-year-old white male, approximately 5-foot-4 with brown eyes and brown hair
If you have any information related to Braxton and Dexter’s whereabouts, contact Det. Jason Nicholson (Jason.nicholson@cityofvancouver.us) or Sgt. Julie Ballou (Julie.ballou@cityofvancouver.us).
Information provided by Vancouver Police Department.
Also read:
- Vancouver Fire contains outbuilding fire
Four engines and two truck companies held a three-outbuilding blaze to the structures, sparing an adjacent home. - Opinion: ‘A more responsible approach must be sought’
Ken Vance argues a $10 billion funding gap makes the phased I-5 Bridge approach fiscally reckless, not responsible. - Semi-truck brings 40,000 pounds of donations to Clark County Food Bank
40,000 pounds of donated food arrived at the Clark County Food Bank, enough to feed about 1,400 people for a week. - ‘Light rail to nowhere’? Surging costs undercut I-5 bridge transit plan
Vancouver’s promised light rail extension to Library Square has no timeline, and the waterfront station would sit 90 feet above ground. - Raptors, Ridgefield welcome another season of West Coast League baseball
Mayor Matt Cole threw the ceremonial first pitch as the Raptors opened their 2026 season with a 9-0 win. - POLL: Do patriotic displays like Yacolt’s road striping help strengthen community spirit?
A Yacolt road striping project tied to America’s 250th anniversary is dividing opinion in Clark County. - Opinion: The challenges of getting the Brockmann mental health facility open
A $42 million, 48-bed mental health campus near WSU Vancouver was completed in 2025 but never opened due to lack of state funding.
