Stepbrother pleads not guilty in abduction of Cathedral City girl

A 22-year-old man captured in Arizona after allegedly abducting his 12-year-old stepsister from Cathedral City pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance on Friday.

He appeared at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Michael Patrick Malloch Jr., who faces child abduction and child endangerment charges, waived extradition from Flagstaff, Arizona, on June 26 and was retrieved by local authorities and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on Wednesday, according to jail records. His bail was set at $500,000.

Cassidy Hayes was discovered missing from her Cathedral City home about 7 a.m. June 22, and authorities said she was believed to be in a car with Malloch.

In a declaration filed in support of an arrest warrant, Cathedral City Detective Alirio Moulin alleged that Malloch abducted Cassidy sometime in the middle of the night, after writing two suicide notes.

Relatives told investigators that Malloch had a history of depression and alcoholism and was prone to self-mutilation, Moulin wrote. Cassidy also had a history of self-mutilation and was described as “very introverted,” the document states.

“Michael Jr. and Cassidy have a very close relationship that witnesses have described as inappropriate,” the detective wrote.

After their parents called authorities, local investigators traced a cell phone and credit card to determine the pair were in Arizona and likely headed to the East Coast in a gold Subaru Legacy. That information was passed to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which issued an Amber Alert in that state.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 viewers were questioning why they didn’t receive a local Amber Alert when the girl was taken. Officers said the Amber Alert was only issued in Arizona because they knew the suspect was no longer in California.

At some point, Malloch allegedly turned off his cell phone and began using cash in an effort to conceal their whereabouts, police said in a declaration requesting higher bail.

Officers in Arizona found the vehicle at about 1:30 p.m. that day on a rural highway north of Page. The girl was rescued safely and Malloch was arrested.