LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Two girls at the heart of a Florida Amber Alert have been found safe in Louisiana, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Tillie Claire Williams, 5, and Natalia Williams, 1, were reported missing Thursday out of Sorrento, where they were last seen in the 23000 block of Companero Drive.
An Amber Alert was issued, and the girls were located on Friday. The Amber Alert has since been canceled.
Dixie Williams, the biological mother of the girls, is accused of taking the children from their foster home.
An arrest warrant was issued for Williams in Lake County Friday, according to sheriff’s officials.
The sheriff’s office says law enforcement authorities near Ruston, Louisiana were able to find the girls with the help of GPS tracking inside a rental car. They said they got a tip from the person who rented Williams the car.
“One thing led to another and everything really fell into place this afternoon after this witness came forward and provided this information,” said Lt. John Herrell, sheriff’s office spokesperson.
Authorities were able to catch up to Williams after a brief pursuit, recover the girls and arrest her on the kidnapping warrant.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Dixie Williams recently borrowed the foster parents’ vehicle and they later noticed their neighborhood pass was missing and may have been how Dixie Williams or Cody Williams, the girls’ biological father, possibly entered the neighborhood. They believe the Williams’ took the girls through a bedroom window.
According to the affidavit, the foster parents told deputies that Williams was upset because visitation rights had changed from being unlimited to only being via Zoom.
“The next step is figuring out what needs to be done to get the kids back here,” Herrell said. “And I’m sure DCF will have a major role in that, of course. And then, of course, she will be brought back to face local charges here. Dixie will be.”
While Cody Williams is mentioned in the arrest affidavit, only Dixie Williams is facing kidnapping charges.
News 6 is asking the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for any details regarding what led to this happening and will update the story as new information becomes available.
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