7 sweaty kids found in U-Haul during 4,400-mile round trip journey, Missouri cops say

Two men were arrested during a cross-country journey when seven kids were found in the back of their U-Haul truck, Missouri police say.

A trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the driver of the U-Haul was pulled over for a traffic violation in Webster County on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The driver, 31-year-old Shakiem Bristol, told the trooper they were driving to Buffalo, New York, after picking up someone in Glendale, Arizona, who had been kicked out of their home, police said.

Two women in the front seat offered conflicting stories, leading the trooper to believe there was criminal activity going on, according to court documents.

The trooper called for backup when Bristol said five adults and seven kids were in the back of the truck, highway patrol said.

Among the adults was Musa Omar, a man in his early 20s, who Bristol said rented the truck and was getting sleep in the back, according to the criminal complaint.

The kids found in the back of the truck ranged in age from two to 13 years old, police said. They appeared sweaty, and most of the children had dirty diapers that authorities said had not been changed in hours.

“The heat from the back cargo area of the U-Haul was noticeably warmer, there was no power or air conditioning in the rear of the truck,” investigators said. “The back of the U-Haul was dirty with trash, various clothes and food containers. It also contained three mattresses on the floor and one on the storage by the roof.”

Bristol told investigators their trip was 70 hours round trip, saying he had “no idea why” the children were brought along, according to the complaint.

Buffalo and Glendale are 2,200 miles apart, and the 4,400-mile round-trip journey would have cost around $4,000, not counting fuel, troopers said.

“I knew it was going to be hot, that’s why we tried to stop a lot,” Bristol told troopers, adding that they would stop every hour or two during the trip, according to highway patrol.

Bristol and Omar were charged with seven counts of child endangerment, court records show.

The children were released to the Department of Family Services, authorities said.

The relationships between Bristol, Omar and the children were not stated, but authorities told KY3 the incident “did not have anything to do with immigration or trafficking.”