Mother Ladasha Lee turned herself into police Wednesday, three years after her daughters disappeared following a bitter custody battle, authorities said.
Three years after they were reported missing, Pennsylvania sisters Hanna and Skye Rex have been found safe and their mother has been arrested for child custody interference, police said.
Hanna and Skye were ages 7 and 5, respectively, when their father, John Rex, reported them missing. The father had been awarded sole custody of the children following a bitter battle with the girls' mother, police said.
In March 2020, Rex said he went to pick up the sisters at their mother's home in Pennsylvania and found that Ladasha Lee and the girls were gone, police said.
Lee was released Wednesday on $25,000 bail, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. She has not entered a plea, court records said.
The mother surrendered Wednesday to authorities, bringing her daughters with her, according to Pennsylvania's Waynesboro Police Department.
The girls are now ages 10 and 7.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which had been helping with the search for Hanna and Skye, issued a statement on behalf of their father.
"I’m so grateful for everyone’s support in helping us get to this day," Rex said. "Time froze three ago when my beautiful girls were suddenly taken from my life.
"I’m overjoyed and now focusing on getting the girls back home with me. I ask for privacy at this time as we navigate the coming days. Thank you,” the father said.
Police did not say where the mother and her daughters had been for the past three years.
The girls are now in the custody of Children and Youth services, pending a hearing and the arrival of Rex, who was traveling from Florida to see his daughters, authorities said.
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