Missing Tennessee Children Located In Minnesota

CASS COUNTY, MN — Three Tennessee children who were the subject of an endangered child alert earlier this week were located in northern Minnesota, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The children were located in Cass County with their non-custodial parents, who were taken into custody.

On Tuesday, the bureau issued an alert for 6-year-old Analia Essex, 2-year-old Abigail Christian and 1-year-old Michale Christian. Their non-custodial parents, Amanda Essex and Michale Darrel Christian, were wanted for custodial interference. The children and their parents were last seen July 9 in Van Buren County, Tenn.

Officials asked for the public's help in locating the children and their parents, Amanda Essex and Michale Darrel Christian, believing they were headed to Minnesota in a white SUV.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, a witness reported seeing the suspect’s vehicle in rural Cass County. BCA agents confirmed the presence of the vehicle in a wooded area on property near Motley.

Christian and Essex are currently being held in the Crow Wing County jail awaiting extradition to Tennessee. The three children are safe and authorities are working to return them to Tennessee.

RELATED: Missing Tennessee Children Could Be Headed To Minnesota