Police say a Massachusetts woman and her five children, ranging from 10 years to 9 months old, who had been missing since earlier this week have been found safe in Texas.
Fitchburg police said Saturday that Ruth Encarnacion and her children were located in Whitney, Texas. Isael Rivera, with whom they live, was found with them.
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The children are now in the custody of Texas Child Protective Services.
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Both Encarnacion and Rivera are in custody, and the Worcester District Attorney's Office and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families are working with Texas authorities to arrange for all seven members of the family to be returned to Massachusetts.
Encarnacion, Rivera and the five children were reported missing on Thursday by Fitchburg police, who obtained warrants for the two adults on five counts each of custodial kidnapping of a minor by a relative.
Fitchburg police said they "explored the possibility" of an Amber Alert, but that one was not issued, as they "are not intended for missing child incidents involving parental kidnapping or child custody situations that lack specific information about the children in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death."
