The nonprofit company, NCMEC, announced on Wednesday that Hanna Lee and Skye Rex had been found safe after three years. The two sisters were last seen with their mother in Pennsylvania, and the case had been ongoing since their disappearance.
The NCMEC used age-progressed images of the girls to make the announcement on social media, and the children’s father, John Rex, also released a statement through the organization.
“I’m so grateful for everyone’s support in helping us get to this day,” the statement read. “Time froze three [years] 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.”
Angeline Hartmann with NCMEC said that this case is a perfect example of why people always need to pay attention to missing children cases.
“A lot of times there’s that wrong, you know, idea that if a child is not found in the first few hours – the first few days, that something terrible has happened to that child, and we will not find that child – and that’s why we focus on these long term missing cases,” she said.
The siblings, who were 5 and 7 years old at the time, disappeared on March 17, 2020, after their father was granted emergency custody by a Maryland judge. They were staying with their mother in Pennsylvania at the time, and when their father reached out to pick up his children, he received no response.
Police believed that the girls’ mother, Hanna Lee, was hiding out in the greater Washington D.C.-Maryland area, but she eventually turned herself in to police on April 19. The children are now safe in protective custody with Franklin County Children and Youth Services.
While the news of the girls being found safe is cause for celebration, there is still much to be done to ensure their safe return to their father. Rex shared the good news on Facebook, adding that he couldn’t wait to see his daughters.
“A lot of times there’s that wrong, you know, idea that if a child is not found in the first few hours – the first few days, that something terrible has happened to that child, and we will not find that child – and that’s why we focus on these long term missing cases,” said Hartman.
The investigation is ongoing, and no other charges have been announced in connection with this case. Lee had a court appearance on Wednesday and was released on a $25,000 bond. She’s due in court again on April 25.
