DONIPHAN — After being safely brought to law enforcement, the search is over for a sister and brother reported missing Friday morning in Ripely County.
The Ripley County Sheriff’s Department had released information that the two children, Ashton and Raelyn Vargas, ages 5 and 7, had been forcibly removed from their mother’s care by siblings shortly before 2 a.m. It occurred at a residence at 424 Ripley Route K.
“What happened was the children were taken to another individual’s house for safe-keeping,” Ripley County Chief Deputy Charlie Mays explained. “The children were brought to law enforcement at sometime around 9 a.m. It seems to be a matter of the children being removed from the home for safety reasons.”
The sheriff’s department reported in an endangered persons alert that the younger children had been taken by their 15 and 16-year-old siblings.
Mays explained the children were recovered safely by law enforcement and the matter is currently under investigation.
“We have contacted the Missouri Juvenile Division regarding this matter, and they will be investigating what we have been told,” Mays explained. “That’s all we can say at this time.”