Two Missouri children missing for nearly a year were found last week shopping at a Florida grocery store with their alleged abductor nearly a year after they were taken, authorities said.
Police in High Springs made the discovery after a routine vehicle tag check near a Winn-Dixie store and learned the owner vehicle, 36-year-old Kristi Nicole Gilley, was a fugitive, the High Springs Police Department said.
Gilley is the noncustodial mother of Brooke and Adrian Gilley, ages 11 and 12, respectively, and allegedly kidnapped them on March 15, 2022, according to police.
Almost a year later, officers located Gilley and the two children shopping in the Winn-Dixie grocery store. The trio had disguised their identities, according to police.
Gilley was detained and arrested on an active kidnapping warrant out of Clay County, Missouri, located just north of Kansas City.
Brooke and Adrian were turned over to the Florida Department of Children and Families Services and will be reunited with their birth family, officials said.
MISSING KAYAKER FOUND DEAD IN CALIFORNIA BAY AFTER GOING CRABBING WITH FRIENDS, SHERIFF SAYS
No details on what led to the alleged abduction almost a year ago were immediately provided.
Clay County, Missouri, is located over 1,100 miles northwest of High Springs, Florida.