Sisters kidnapped from foster home found safe in Louisiana, Florida cops say. Mom charged
UPDATE: Two sisters at the center of an Amber Alert in Florida have been found in Louisiana, and their biological mother was taken into custody, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office told news outlets.
Dixie Williams, 41, was charged with kidnapping and is in the custody of Louisiana law enforcement, WESH reported.
Investigators believe the girls were taken from their bedroom window, WESH reported, and their biological mom had access to a neighborhood pass from when she previously borrowed the foster family’s car.
The original story continues below.
An Amber Alert has been issued for two sisters who were kidnapped from their foster home, a Florida sheriff’s office says.
Around 7 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, a foster home reported 1.5-year-old Natalia Williams and her older sister, 5-year-old Tillie Claire Williams, missing, according to a Jan. 25 news release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The sisters were last seen the night before around 11 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said they were not sure how the children were taken from the home or where they might be headed, but their biological mother or father was believed to/ be involved.
Later that night, an Amber Alert was issued for the state of Florida and the sheriff’s office identified their biological mother, 41-year-old Dixie Stumpner Williams, as the person they believe to have the children.
Cody Williams, the girls’ biological father, said in an interview with WOFL the children had been taken by the Florida Department of Children and Families more than a year ago, and he believed their mother was taking them to the Bahamas where she had ties.
“I don’t know for a fact if she did it; it seems pretty probable,” Williams told the outlet. “I assume she just gave up hope in the system, maybe, and just decided that it’s better to take them.”
Tilli is 3 foot, 5 inches tall, about 45 pounds, has long brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing gray or navy-blue pajamas with multi-colored hearts, the sheriff’s office said.
Natalia, or Talli, is 2 foot, 5 inches tall, about 30 pounds, has short curly brown hair and was last seen wearing a pink pajama dress with pink pants covered in hearts, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Dixie Williams or her daughters should call the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at 1-888-356-4774 or the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 352-343-2101.
If you see Dixie Williams or her children, do not approach them and call 911.
The girls were last seen in Sorrento, about 35 miles north of Orlando.
This story was originally published January 26, 2024 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Sisters kidnapped from foster home found safe in Louisiana, Florida cops say. Mom charged."
