Search for abducted children ends in Louisiana; both children safe

Published 8:46 am Wednesday, July 17, 2019

The search for a couple who took their children illegally from state custody in Arizona ended late Tuesday night in Louisiana.

Louisiana State Police stopped a 2008 Dodge pickup on Interstate 20 in Bienville Parish, state and local media reported.

Melissa Joy Gladden and Jerry Jay Kirkley, both 34, were taken into custody.

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The couple’s 2-year-old and 5-month-old children were found safe, approximately 1,3000 miles away from where they were taken.