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Amber Alert canceled after O'Fallon, Missouri, family found safe in Texas

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the O'Fallon mom and two daughters were found with the children's father in Corpus Christi after issuing an Amber Alert.

O'FALLON, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol canceled an Amber Alert Monday afternoon after a woman and her two children who were possibly abducted out of O'Fallon, Missouri, were found safe in Texas.

In an update just after 3:30 p.m., Cpl. Barry Bayles with the St. Charles County Police Department said the mother and her children were found safe in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The Corpus Christi Police Department confirmed that it located the family safe with assistance of U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI. The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed they were found with the children's father.

The Amber Alert was issued Monday morning after Cpl. Bayles said the mother and her two daughters left their O'Fallon home in unincorported St. Charles County at about 6 p.m. Sunday with an unknown male after the mom got into an argument with someone inside her home. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said they believe they stopped at Redmon's Candy Factory in Phillipsburg, Missouri at about 10:45 p.m. 

That's when Bayles said the mother went inside to go to the bathroom and when she came back, the man had taken off with her kids.

The children were last seen in a black SUV, with an unknown make, model and license plate. Police believed the vehicle had been en route to Texas. 

An MSHP Trooper went to the candy store, but did not locate them or the car.

Their mother's cell phone pinged in Tulsa at 1:30 a.m. Monday, then again hours later between San Antonio and Austin.

Then later Monday afternoon, officials said the mom was with her kids in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Bayles said the family is Honduran and a language barrier may have contributed to the thought that they were possibly in danger. All the information came from a third party, and the Amber Alert was issued out of an abundance of caution, he said.

At the time, police haven't confirmed if this was a legitimate kidnapping or a miscommunication, Bayles said.

The FBI Houston Corpus Christi Residence Agency is taking over the investigation into what happened.

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