Police are continuing their search for nine missing boys from a camp for troubled youth although the camp's attorney claims the teens are safe and back with their parents, ABC News reported.
Authorities said on Friday that until they can "visually confirm the children are safe or in confidence know that," the Amber Alert issued for them will remain in place, according to New Mexico State Police spokesman Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez.
The search follows a story published by the Albuquerque Journal last week that claimed state officials were investigating Tierra Blanca High Country Youth Program for allegedly forcing the boys to wear leg shackles and handcuffs in addition to being beaten.
On Friday, a search warrant for the 30,000-acre site was obtained by police to search the compound, where they discovered that the boys, aged 13 to 17, and program director Scott Chandler, were missing.
Pete Domenici Jr., a lawyer for Tierra Blanca, said in a statement that the boys were "on a previously scheduled activity away from the ranch for several days. They are safe and have already been picked up by their parents, or their parents are en route to pick them up."
Domenici also said the state had blown the incident out of proportion and criticized them for not agreeing to an emergency hearing regarding a lawsuit filed by the youth camp earlier this week, which claimed the police did not properly perform their investigation.
Minutes after the camp's attorney released his statement, the Amber Alert was sent out.
Both Scott and Collette Chandler -- who have run the camp for 20 years -- deny any wrongdoing. The couple has been ordered to send the teens back to their parents or put them in custody of the state following the allegations.
In their lawsuit against the state, the Chandlers also claim that one of their kids was contacted by Gov. Susana Martinez -- a claim her office denies.
On the camp's website, they claim "the staff seeks to provide a safe and caring environment within which the youth can flourish. A careful balance between love, discipline and structure."
