Six children who had been camping with two adults at Mammoth Campground were rescued from an abusive situation and taken into protective care while the adults were charged with felony child abuse, child endangerment, aggravated assault, and kidnapping last week.
The situation was observed in September by a couple who had been serving as volunteer campground hosts in Glacier National Park and reported to park rangers. Frank and Terry Dinovi were visiting Yellowstone after their summer as volunteer campground hosts, and Terry, a retired registered nurse, is trained to identify child abusers and abuse.
Due to their diligence, Yellowstone law enforcement officers began to collaborate with multiple agencies including the NPS Investigative Services Branch, Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations, Wyoming Department of Family Services, Arizona Department of Child Safety, and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona.
The adults and children had traveled and stayed in campgrounds from Alaska to Arizona where the adults were ultimately apprehended and charged with felony child abuse, child endangerment, aggravated assault, and kidnapping. The six children were removed from the custody of the serial abusers who critically endangered the children.
Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly formally recognized the Dinovi’s with the Yellowstone Superintendent’s Commendation for their determination to report what they knew to be child abuse and neglect of the six children.
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