In Search Of A Life Other Than Her Own

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Police say Tanya Diane Brown abducted her children in June of 2003.

In 1991, Tanya Diane Brown's life in Las Vegas did not resemble the life she had hoped for herself. Tanya had always fantasized about making it big as a Hollywood player and living lavishly among the rich and famous. Instead, Tanya had become pregnant with her first child, Darion, by her then-boyfriend, Matthew Densley. Matthew claims they decided to marry, but it was mostly out of obligation to the baby on the way. But, with the help of their church and support from family, Matthew said they somehow managed to make ends meet.

Opportunity finally knocked for the Densleys in 1994 when Matthew was offered a better paying job as a heavy machine operator at a gold mining facility near San Bernardino, Calif. The three-hour commute to and from work and the 12-hour work shifts were tough, but the young couple now had two children to consider with the 1993 birth of their daughter, Tori. Then, in May of 1996, Brady Densley was born.

Matthew said he would return home after pulling long shifts at the gold mine only to find his children unkempt and hungry, the family home in complete disarray and his wife transfixed in front of the computer surfing the Internet. Tanya would tell Matthew she was writing new episodes for her favorite television show, Beverly Hills, 90210. Matthew claims his wife's delusion only grew worse: to the point of going into a rage and accusing the show's producers of stealing her story ideas.

Disagreement Leads To Divide

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Police say Tanya Diane Brown abducted the two children she had with her second husband Charles, pictured here.

By 1997, marital problems between Tanya and Matthew Densley had multiplied. It was rumored that the gold mine could close down, so Tanya started babysitting for some of the mine workers for extra money. Still, the couple remained at odds. Matthew recalled one night when Tanya cornered him in the kitchen during one of their extended arguments, forcing him to push her aside in order to get away from her. Tanya called the police claiming Matthew had assaulted her. Police arrived and arrested Matthew on the spot. Although no formal charges were ever filed against Matthew, the damage had been done. The marriage was over. In 1998, Matthew and Tanya filed for divorce and legally separated.

Tanya took custody of Darion, Tori and Brady and continued babysitting to support her new single-parent home. One of Tanya's clients referred her to a man who had recently divorced from his wife and needed someone to babysit his daughter. That man was Charles Brown. Charles Brown told AMW that he and Tanya developed romantic interests in one another and started dating. Before the summer of 1999, Tanya's divorce to Matthew was final, she had given birth to Mirynda Brown and she and Charles were married. After she received permission from a Las Vegas court to move her kids out of state, Tanya and Charles left the desert and headed for California to make a new start.

From Bakersfield Into Oblivion

By the time Charles and Diane Brown relocated to Bakersfield, Calif., the family had grown to five children. Darion, Tori and Brady Densley had two new half-sisters: Kayleen and Mirynda. Charles Brown told AMW he felt the family was happy and well-adjusted in the beginning, but Tanya's behavior gradually became erractic. In June 2003, Charles said Tanya essentially ran away with the children to the family cabin nestled in the mountains of Caliente, Calif., and even enrolled the kids in school without ever bothering to consult him. 

Charles claims Tanya flew into a rage over his refusal to buy her some horses, grabbed all the kids and headed for the hills. One day, Charles received an alarming phone call from one of the kids at the cabin claiming Tanya was threatening to kill herself. He had to call the police to assist him with the safe return of his children. By the end of 2003, the marriage was beyond repair and the matter of child custody rested in the hands of a court-appointed therapist and a judge.

Charles believes that when Tanya learned that she was going to lose her appeal for full custody of Kayleen and Mirynda she panicked. Matthew Densley had also filed legal action to regain custody of Darion, Tori and Brady in Las Vegas. Both fathers agree: Tanya selfishly chose to abduct her own children to punish them for her failed marriages.

Fearing the worst, Charles Brown decided to hire a private investigator when it became clear to him that Tanya had vanished for good. In April 2005, the private eye's trail went cold at a hotel in San Ysidro, CA. He just missed Tanya and the kids, but cops did find some personal items left behind -- including Tori Densley's journal. Her diary entries detail the events leading up to the time when she and her siblings were forced into a life of hiding by Tanya Diane Brown. Tori's final entry was simple and emphatic: "HELP!" 

Wanted For:

• Child Stealing , Bakersfield , CA ; Mar 2005

(Information valid as of June 23, 2008)

Associated Persons:

Kayleen and Mirynda Brown
Missing Child
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Missing Densley Children
Missing Child
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Television Airings:

• »June 28, 2008
• »December 1, 2007

AMW Radio:

• »December 01 2007

AMW Capture #975

The End Of The Line For Tanya Diane Brown

On Dec. 1, 2007, AMW aired the story of a fugitive mom, Tanya Diane Brown, who police say kidnapped her five kids and went on the run in March 2005. That very night, AMW hotline operators got a tip that would eventually bring Brown to justice.

Authorities tell AMW that thanks to one of our tipsters, they discovered that Tanya Diane Brown was living in a mountainside community near the central Californian town of Tehachapi.  Cops learned that she had been living there since just after she hid out with her children at a San Ysidro, Calif. motel in 2005. 

Police say that Tanya Diane Brown settled in this new community and even started a new life with a new common law husband.  Cops say the couple had a child together and were expecting another. But Tanya's life on the lam wouldn't last.

Local authorities did surveillance on the area and took photos of the woman and children they believed to be Tanya and her five kids. When Tanya's estranged husband, Charles, saw the pictures, he knew that cops had the right woman. 

On Feb. 13, 2008, AMW caught up with Tanya's common law husband and he was arrested near the home they shared. Tanya was brought into police custody without incident shortly thereafter.  Cops say that all of Tanya's children are in Child Protective Services.