Father of Missing Riverside County 8-Year-Old Charged with Murder

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA -- Bryce McIntosh, the father of an 8-year-old boy who has been missing for more than four weeks was charged with first-degree murder on Thursday, with police saying that although the boy's body hasn't been found, evidence leads them to believe the child is dead.

Noah McIntosh's father, 32-year-old Bryce, and mother, 36-year-old Jillian Marie Godfrey, both of Corona, have been behind bars since March 13. Both were originally charged with felony child endangerment and were originally set to return to court April 8.

But on Thursday, Corona police recommended that Bryce McIntosh be charged with murder, saying they located trace evidence indicating that Noah is dead.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin confirmed that McIntosh had been charged with murder, along with a special circumstance allegation of torture, opening him to a possible death sentence.

Godfrey was not charged with murder, Hestrin said.

Detectives have combed hills near the apartment complex in the 4500 block of Temescal Canyon Road where Noah was last seen, and where both his parents live separately.

Both defendants are being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside -- McIntosh in lieu of $1 million bail, and Godfrey on $500,000 bail.

Godfrey reportedly contacted police when McIntosh refused to let her see Noah earlier this month.

The woman's father told reporters he believed McIntosh was responsible for Noah's disappearance and feared that the defendant's ``terrible temper'' may have led to something sinister.

Officers served a search warrant at the location on March 13 and found the defendant inside the apartment with his 11-year-old daughter, whose identity was not released, but there was no sign of Noah, Fountain said.

He said based on the initial investigation, detectives determined there was sufficient evidence to justify arresting the parents for alleged child abuse.

City News Service contributed to this report.