following being kidnapped from western Georgia the day before, two young girls were found Monday morning following a frenzied police hunt that left authorities warning that they were in “extreme danger.”
At 11:52 a.m. on Sunday, Kylie Horne, 11, and Kylann Harper, 4, disappeared from a Burger King in Columbus, Georgia, prompting the raising of the alert.
The girls were last seen with Mikaela Harrell, a 49-year-old woman with past drug offenses, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Her connection to the girls is still a mystery.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Kaila Spires, who was recognized as the children’s mother by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, was also designated as a person of interest.
The children’s companion at the time of their discovery was not mentioned in a Columbus Police Department statement that was released on Monday.
The statement read: “As of Monday, October 16, 2023 at approximately 11:30 a.m., both children have been located in the area of South Georgia and are safe.
“The investigation is ongoing, and charges could be forthcoming for those involved in the abduction.”
According to public records, Harrell lives in Ocilla, Georgia, and has been convicted of methamphetamine possession at least twice. She was also charged with felony possession after being found in possession of between 28 and 199 grams of the drug.
From August 2007 through August 2016, Harrell spent nine years on parole.
Records from the department of prisons show that Spires has been convicted of at least one prior crime, a burglary case that involved breaking and entering at a residential property.
