Missing Brothers From Escondido Found Safe In Oceanside

ESCONDIDO, CA – Two brothers who went missing from Escondido have been found safe in Oceanside, police said.

Zackariah Valdez, 9, and Daniel Cisneros, 11, were found just after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Escondido Police Department. The boys had left their home voluntarily Tuesday morning and were spotted around 5:55 a.m. leaving a Sprinter train at the Oceanside Transit Station.

According to Escondido police, the boys had last been seen 10 p.m. Monday at their home in the Ponderosa Mobile Home Park on West Valley Parkway. The residential park is just west of Interstate 15, south of the where the freeway intersects with state Route 78.

Earlier Tuesday, police said they found no immediate evidence that the boys were abducted. But because the circumstances surrounding their disappearance were not immediately clear, police were "treating it like an abduction until we know otherwise," Lt. Scott Walters said.

"There are some key family members and friends we have not been able to get a hold of who might be able to tell us where these boys are," Walters said. "Until then, we're following every lead, including searching for them with a helicopter and checking at their school."

The boys were found in good health and were being reunited with their family, police said.

"Thank you to the numerous agencies and to the public for their assistance in bringing these boys home safely," police said in an announcement.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photos via Escondido Police Department