Missing boy found alive by YouTuber in the desert after mom found dead
An Arizona woman was found dead just days after being arrested on abuse allegations as her runaway son was wandering the desert.
Danielle Lee-Sharp, 39, died in the hospital from apparent self-inflicted injuries on Sunday after the Pima County Sheriff’s Department received a call about a man having a mental health crisis, according to 13 News.

The man was found with apparent self-inflicted injuries, as was Lee-Sharp, KGUN reported. The man was taken to a Tucson hospital and survived. His identity was not released.
Lee-Sharp’s death followed a chilling series of events that began when her 15-year-old son Ryker Lee was reported missing from their RV home.
Police visited the family’s house while looking for the boy and described the conditions as ‘deplorable,’ according to documents seen by The Arizona Republic.
Ryker had been living inside a small, padlocked room inside an RV without running water.
Feces-Stained RV and Desert Rescue
Lee-Sharp and Michael Menzie, 43, had been booked on three counts of child abuse during their first court appearance on September 23 while Ryker was missing.
Lee-Sharp told police the boy had been urinating into plastic bottles as he did not have access to a bathroom inside the RV, The Arizona Republic reported.
The home was filled with insects, smelled of cat urine and had stains of vomit and feces throughout the floor, according to 13 News.
The Arizona Department of Child Services took Lee’s two younger siblings, aged eight and 10, into custody after the visit proved their living conditions to be unsafe, according to the outlet.
Ryker was found in an Arizona desert on September 25 thanks to a YouTube streamer who received a tip from a resident.
In a coordinated effort with his viewers, YouTuber Exploring with Jim was able to gather enough information to help police find Ryker three days after he went missing.
‘It’s Unbelievable’
Pima County Sheriff’s Department found Ryker just before 1pm, about three miles from his home, the police shared on their Facebook page.
Jim drove 14 hours from California to search for the missing boy, and livestreamed himself as he searched for the boy in the desert surrounding his home.
During the search, a nearby homeowner waved Jim over and told him he saw someone walking behind his house with a blanket over their shoulders, according to video footage of the livestream.
Jim’s viewers informed the authorities as Jim continued the search, driving around the desert on his motorcycle looking for Lee.
A group of other YouTubers joined the effort to find the boy, but the tip obtained by Jim ended up leading the authorities to Ryker, according to the footage.
‘The guy gave me the tip, and I went out there, I gave credence to the tip, and the chat called the cops, sent everybody out. It’s unbelievable,’ Jim said immediately after he learned that the police found Lee.

