Saul was dead, and David was now Israel's king. Rizpah, Saul's concubine, was the mother of Saul's two youngest sons. Rizpah barely had time to grieve before being hit with the most inconceivable news any mother can imagine. David had sent out an evil decree. If anyone knew the whereabouts of Saul's sons, they must tell David at once.
When King Saul's son, Ish-bosheth, was viciously slain in his own bed as he slept, Rizpah immediately went into hiding. Jonathan was already dead, and only Rizpah's two sons remained alive.
David had spies and scouts roaming through all of Israel to find Saul's two sons. It was only a matter of time that Rizpah's sons were snatched from her arms.