WARWICK, R.I. (WHDH) – A mother charged with stealing her two daughters from Rhode Island in 1985 is scheduled to appear before a judge after police found the three living in the Houston area.
After more than 30 years, Rhode Island State Police say an anonymous tip two days before Christmas led authorities to Kimberly and Kelly Yates and their 69-year-old mother, Elaine.
Yates and her daughters Kelly and Kimberly, who were three years old and ten months old in 1985, had not been heard from since Yates escaped Warwick with her marriage on the rocks. Yates did not have custody of her daughters at the time of the abduction. A felony warrant for “child snatching” was issued for Yates on November 16, 1988.
Police credit new technology and social media for finding the girls and Yates, who was living under the alias “Leina Wahlberg.”
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Philbin of the Rhode Island State Police said if not for Facebook, investigators could not have shaped a timeline of photographs. Philbin said over the years, the police received tips and supposed sightings from all over the world.
Russell Yates, the father who has not seen his daughters since the time of their disappearance, was thrilled to hear the announcement that Kelly and Kimberly were found.
“I hope they get in touch with me,” Russel Yates said. “I’ve been searching for them in 30 years.”
Elaine Yates faces arraignment Wednesday in Superior Court in Warwick.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)