Two Wilmer children who were at the center of a statewide Amber Alert have been found safe and their mother is under arrest in the town of Yoakum. NBC 5’s Alicia Barrera has the late-breaking details.
Two children have been found safe after an AMBER Alert was issued out of Wilmer on Monday, according to Wilmer Police.
The Wilmer Police Department issued the Amber Alert on Monday afternoon. A short time later it was confirmed the children were safe.
Police were searching for a 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy after it was believed they were abducted around 9 a.m. on Monday by their 26-year-old mother, Jaquelyn Hernandez.
Wilmer police told NBC 5 Monday afternoon that the children had been safely located in Yoakum, Texas, about 280 miles south of the Dallas area.
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"I know the kids are safe with CPS in Yoakum," Rafael Ortega, detective with the Wilmer Police Department said.
The children were last seen at the EMLI Apartments in Wilmer.
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Police said the vehicle in connection to the abduction was last seen on I-35 driven by the woman's boyfriend identified as Nicholas Falcon.
According to Wilmer PD, Hernandez could face charges as she did not have custody of the children.
"Yes, there will be charges, and yes, it is believed they were in danger," Lt. John Rhodes with Wilmer PD said.
"We're still currently getting an arrest warrant for the mother of the children," Ortega said. "There might be additional charges coming for anybody that helped her with the children."
Juan Mendez, who identified himself as the father of the two children, said this was the first time his children were taken from him.
"The mother of my kids, she broke into my house," Mendez said. "By the time I woke up she had already taken the kids. I heard a slam and went running to check what it was. And it was her."
Mendez reported the alleged abduction to police.
"It was terrifying. I didn't know where my kids were at. But thank God they're found," Mendez said.
Less than an hour after the AMBER Alert was issued Monday afternoon, Mendez was relieved to hear from detectives that the children were found safe.
"They told me she had turned herself in, and that I gotta go pick them up right now," Mendez said.
"I feel happy, very blessed that they're found and they're coming back home," said Mendez. "They're good here. They've got a good life. I'm going back to them right now."
The Department of Family Services was not able to provide information on prior history of Hernandez and her two children.
TEXAS STATEWIDE ALERT PROGRAMS
Eight kinds of alerts can be issued for missing or endangered people in Texas. Below are links to articles with more information about each type of alert.
- Active Shooter Alert
- AMBER Alert & Athena Alert
- Blue Alert
- Silver Alert
- CLEAR Alert
- Camo Alert (no longer operational)
- Endangered Missing Person Alert
- Power Outage Alert
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
