The mother of two South Florida children who were the subject of a statewide Missing Child Alert on Tuesday was taken into custody after she and the kids were found at Miami International Airport, according to investigators.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the father of Ivy Mitchell, 6, and Devin Mitchell, 10, has sole custody of them and they live with their half sibling in Homestead. The only exception is that every other Saturday, for four hours, Ivy and Mitchell are allowed to have a visit with the mother, identified as 36-year-old Shandrell Willis, supervised by their paternal uncle.
Willis violates court order
According to the arrest report, Willis went to the children’s home on Monday, had them pack clothes and then they all left together, in violation of a court injunction.
The children’s father told sheriff’s deputies that when he returned home from work, he found his home ransacked and his children missing, according to the report. Willis allegedly was not answering her phone and her family could not reach her or the children.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was notified and a Missing Child Alert was issued for Ivy and Devin.
Found trying to flee, investigators say
On Tuesday afternoon, investigators tracked Willis and the three children to Miami International Airport where she was taken into custody, according to deputies.
The children told investigators that Willis first took them to a hotel and then to the airport where they were supposed to leave on a flight to either Georgia or Texas, according to the report. They said they were not able to buy tickets because there was a problem with payment, so Willis was looking for a cheaper flight, according to deputies.
Willis has been charged with interference with custody by a parent, removal of a child from the state, and violation of a domestic violence injunction.
