Children ages 1 to 15 were rescued Friday from the compound that had been under investigation for months. However, a boy reported missing from Georgia was not among them and authorities haven’t released many details about their search for him.

This Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, photo released by Taos County Sheriff's Office shows Lucas Morton. Morton was arrested on suspicion of harboring a fugitive after law enforcement officers searching a rural northern New Mexico compound for a missing 3-year-old boy found 11 children in filthy conditions and hardly any food. (Taos County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This Aug. 3, 2018, file photo released by Taos County Sheriff's Office shows a rural compound during an unsuccessful search for a missing boy in Amalia, N.M. Three women believed to be the mothers of 11 children found hungry and living in a filthy makeshift compound in rural northern New Mexico have been arrested, following the weekend arrests of two men, authorities said Monday, Aug. 6. The boy last seen in Alabama in December traveling with one of the men who was arrested has not been found. (Taos County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

This Aug. 3, 2018, file photo released by Taos County Sheriff's Office shows a rural compound during an unsuccessful search for a missing boy in Amalia, N.M. Three women believed to be the mothers of 11 children found hungry and living in a filthy makeshift compound in rural northern New Mexico have been arrested, following the weekend arrests of two men, authorities said Monday, Aug. 6. The boy last seen in Alabama in December traveling with one of the men who was arrested has not been found. (Taos County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

This undated posted provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shows Abdul-ghani Wahhaj, left, and his father Siraj Wahhaj, who police are seeking the public's in finding. Police reports show that the Georgia boy missing after authorities raided a New Mexico compound over the weekend was last seen in Alabama in December. The boy's mother told police he left with his father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, for a trip to a park and never returned. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children via AP)

This photo provided by the Taos County Sheriff's Department shows Hujrah Wahhaj. Wahhaj and a few other women, believed to be the mothers of 11 children found hungry and living in a filthy makeshift compound in rural northern New Mexico, have been arrested, following the weekend arrests of two men, authorities said Monday, Aug. 6. (Taos County Sheriff via AP)

This photo provided by the Taos County Sheriff's Department shows Jany Leveille. Leveille and a few other women, believed to be the mothers of 11 children found hungry and living in a filthy makeshift compound in rural northern New Mexico, have been arrested, following the weekend arrests of two men, authorities said Monday, Aug. 6. (Taos County Sheriff via AP)

This photo provided by the Taos County Sheriff's Department shows Subhannah Wahhaj. Wahhaj and a few other women, believed to be the mothers of 11 children found hungry and living in a filthy makeshift compound in rural northern New Mexico, have been arrested, following the weekend arrests of two men, authorities said Monday, Aug. 6. (Taos County Sheriff via AP)

This combination photo provided by the Taos County Sheriff's Department shows Subhannah Wahhaj, from left, Jany Leveille and Hujrah Wahhaj. Three women believed to be the mothers of 11 children found hungry and living in a filthy makeshift compound in rural northern New Mexico, have been arrested, following the weekend arrests of two men, authorities said Monday, Aug. 6. (Taos County Sheriff's Department via AP)

This photo provided by the Taos County Sheriff's Department shows Lucas Morton, left, and Siraj Wahhaj. Morton and Wahhaj were arrested after law enforcement officers searching a rural northern New Mexico compound for a missing 3-year-old boy found 11 children in filthy conditions and hardly any food. (Taos County Sheriff's Department via AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A plea for help and the search for a missing boy drew sheriff’s deputies to a desolate New Mexico compound, walled off by stacks of old tires, wooden pallets and other debris. Just past the crude “no trespassing” sign, the officers found 16 people — including 11 children — living in squalid conditions.

Children ages 1 to 15 were rescued Friday from the compound that had been under investigation for months. However, the boy reported missing from Georgia was not among them and authorities haven’t released many details about their search for him.

Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said the boy’s father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, was among five adults arrested at the compound in Amalia, just south of the New Mexico-Colorado line.

Authorities staged a raid after someone believed to have been in the compound sent out a message for help that said: “We are starving and need food and water.”

It wasn’t clear who sent the message or how it was communicated. Georgia detectives forwarded the message to the Taos County Sheriff’s Office.

Wahhaj was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on a warrant from Georgia that seeks his extradition to face a charge of abducting his son, Abdul-ghani, from that state last December.

According to the extradition warrant, Wahhaj told the boy’s mother that he wanted to perform an exorcism on the child, who suffered from seizures, because he believed the 3-year-old was possessed by the devil. The mother told police that Wahhaj took the boy for a trip to a park and never returned.

Abdul-ghani was believed to have been at the Amalia compound as recently as several weeks ago, Hogrefe said.

The warrant said the boy suffered from severe medical issues including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a defect caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow around the time of birth.

The boy’s mother said the boy can’t walk and requires constant attention.

Wahhaj was armed with several guns, including a loaded AR-15 assault rifle, when he was taken into custody without incident at the compound, the sheriff said.

The other man, Lucas Morton, was taken into custody on suspicion of harboring a fugitive.

The women, believed to be mothers of some of the children, have been identified as 35-year-old Jany Leveille, 38-year-old Hujrah Wahhaj, and 35-year-old Subhannah Wahhaj.

Jail booking photos show them wearing traditional Muslim veils or hijabs.

The adults each are facing 11 charges of child abuse. It wasn’t clear whether they had retained attorneys.

The public defender’s office in Taos County did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press seeking comment Monday.

The sheriff said FBI agents surveilled the area a few weeks ago but did not find probable cause to search the property.

An FBI spokesman didn’t immediately return a call by The Associated Press seeking comment.