Hill County Sheriff’s Office investigators and task force officers with the United States Marshals Service conducted a joint operation Friday, March 7, that resulted in five missing children being found safe.
Authorities obtained information indicating that two individuals wanted in Massachusetts were staying at a residence in the 200 block of Bluegrass Street in Whitney.
HCSO investigators and U.S. Marshals Service task force officers located and positively identified the two wanted subjects, who were booked into the Hill County Jail on multiple charges of kidnapping.
HCSO Chief Deputy Tim Westmoreland said that five children, ranging from nine months to 10 years of age, were found with the arrested parties. All children were unharmed and placed into the custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Both adult subjects, identified by the Fitchburg, Massachusetts Police Department as Ruth Encarnacion and Isael Rivera, were awaiting extradition as the week began. Fitchburg police had warrants for custodial kidnapping of a minor by a relative out for Encarnacion and Rivera.
Bonds totaling $2.5 million each were set on 30-year-old Encarnacion and 31-year-old Rivera.
Fitchburg police reported that an AMBER Alert was not activated because the system is not intended for missing child situations involving child custody circumstances when there is no information indicating imminent danger of harm to the children.
In a press release, the police department thanked the Hill County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance locating the children.
Hill County Sheriff Hunter Barnes said that he would like to extend his thanks to the United States Marshals Service, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for their assistance with this incident.
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