Somersworth children found safe after Amber Alert. Mother charged with felonies.
SOMERSWORTH — Two children reported missing have been found safe Friday after an Amber Alert was issued, and their mother is being charged with two felonies.
A girl, age 11, and her brother, age 8, were both allegedly taken from their residence in Somersworth, where they lived with their grandmother, according to police. They were not injured.
Their mother, Kaileigh Nichols, 34, with a last known address of 285 Hubbard Road in Lebanon, Maine, was found with the siblings in a hotel in South Portland, Maine, police said. The felony charges against Nichols are two counts of interference with custody. She is being held in Maine, police said, awaiting extradition to New Hampshire.
The childen's grandmother has custody of them, according to police.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of the investigation and the safety of the children,” Somersworth Police Chief Tim McLin said. “We've worked with many different agencies in continuing this case of federal, local state and county. Even though Miss Nichols is in custody, the actual investigation does remain active.”
McLin said that it is still too early to know if anyone else was involved, and he would not disclose the information that led to her arrest. Several agencies assisted with this case, including New Hampshire State Police and law enforcement in Maine, McLin said.
The children were reported missing Thursday at 9:45 p.m. They were last seen at their residence at approximately 7:30 p.m., after their grandmother put them to bed, police said. The grandmother fell asleep and awoke two hours later to find the children were gone. They appeared to have left their home through a window, police said. Somersworth police said screens from the window were removed.
Nichols was in Somersworth Thursday to attend a school event for her children, according to police. Police said they confirmed Nichols "took a vehicle from a relative in Maine" and was seen in that vehicle at the school event in Somersworth during daytime hours Thursday.
Police ask anyone with information to call the Somersworth Police Department at (603) 692-3131, the crimeline at 603-692-9111 or leave a via the department page at somersworth.com.
Seacoast news: Download the Seacoastonline mobile app and the Fosters.com mobile app to stay connected.
The Somersworth Police Department credited the following agencies involved in the case: New Hampshire State Police, National Crime Information Center Unit, New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, FBI, FBI Task Force, US Marshal’s Task Force, Strafford County Sheriff’s Department, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department, Strafford County House of Corrections, South Portland Police Department, Portland Police Department, Dover Police Department, Saco Police Department, Old Orchard Beach Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Department, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and several dispatch/communication centers
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth children found safe after Amber Alert. Mother charged.
