A Missouri man was reunited with his children after police located them with his ex-wife, who is accused of kidnapping.
The noncustodial mother allegedly kept the children out of school and hid them indoors so they could not be found. They were reported missing in March 2022.
The children were found by chance during a routine tag check in Florida. Police officers were alerted that the driver of a vehicle in a shopping center had an active kidnapping warrant.
That driver was Kristi Gilley, 36, the ex-wife of Blake Gilley, 38, who reported his children missing from Clay County, Missouri.
“My kids were missing. I didn’t know where they are. That’s the biggest fear in the world,” Blake Gilley told NBC News. “It is an understatement to say I was terrified and freaked out.”
According to the outlet, Gilley’s ex-wife had disguised the children in some way so they couldn’t be recognized.
“These children and their abductor were passing through the area and had no residency connection to Alachua County, Florida, nor were they enrolled in any schools,” Florida authorities said in a statement.
