Kimberly and Kelly Yates disappeared in 1985 following an ugly custody battle between their parents, at the time being only 4 years old and 10 months old, respectively. Now 35 and 32, the sister have been found alive and well in Houston, TX and their mom, Elaine, faces two charges of child snatching and could serve up to 20 years in prison.
Sisters reported missing in 1985 found, mom arrested https://t.co/flKSFlAY30 pic.twitter.com/GRjE7ozbdT
— fox8news (@fox8news) January 17, 2017
The two sisters, whose current names won’t be released to the public, both live in Houston and have families of their own. When they learned that they were involved in a decades-long missing persons case, a police spokesperson said they were “obviously surprised.”
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Rhode Island State Police Lt. Col. Joseph F Philbin said that it was an anonymous tip he received shortly before Christmas that led to the discovery of the sisters.
Elaine, who was living under the name Liana Waldberg, was tracked down and identified with the help of social media. Both Texas Rangers and Rhode Island State Police were present when apprehending Yates, now 69 years old. Authorities say she was being “very” cooperative during the arrest.
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When Kimberly and Kelly’s father, Russell Yates, was informed that his daughters were alive and well, he was “dumbfounded” but also “relieved.”
When speaking to WCVB, Russel said, “I’ve always been trying to find my children,” and added, “And now at least it’s up to them to get in touch with me.”
Russel has had plenty of time to think about the situation over the past thirty years, reflecting, “What happens with my ex-wife, I really feel bad about. But we gotta find out what’s going on.”
The father also seems sympathetic to his ex-wife and doesn’t want to see her prosecuted, admitting, “That ain’t going to help her, me or anybody else at this point.” Instead, his desires are simple, “I just want to see my kids.”
The separation was heated and violent, with Russell admitting to hitting Elaine, along with her punching and kicking him. Russell, a bar owner, returned home from work one evening and found his house empty.
A warrant was issued for Elaine’s arrest in 1988 after she failed to appear at a court date. Her mother, Mary Pigeon, was jailed in 1990 for eight days after refusing to reveal her daughter’s whereabouts.
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[H/T Daily Mail/WCVB]
