Missing Round Rock Girls Found Safe In Colorado (Video)

ROUND ROCK, TX — The two Round Rock girls who went missing after their mother was found dead on New Year's Eve have been found safe in Colorado, the police chief confirmed on Twitter.

"CAUGHT!!!" Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks wrote on Twitter Wednesday night. "Terry Allen Miles was caught in Colorado without incident. The girls are SAFE!!! Thank God!!"

The police chief has scheduled a press briefing on the matter on Wednesday night at 9:45 p.m. at the Round Rock Police Department, 2701 N Mays St. In an email, a police department spokesman said Banks will discuss details related to the suspects' capture, concluding the missive with: "The girls are safe."

The development brings an end to a real-life drama centered on the missing girls, taken from their home after their mother was found dead on Sunday. Earlier on Wednesday, Banks staged a press briefing with reporters to provide updates on the case while distributing still images of the suspect taken from a surveillance camera in Trinidad, Colo.

Banks thanked members of the media for staying on top of the story, saying the intense coverage on the case had yielded numerous tips that helped lead the investigation to Colorado. Yet the police chief seemed downtrodden at the briefing, sharing in the collective anxiety over the girls' well-being four days after they were taken.

Police believe Miles, 44, kidnapped the girls — 14-year-old Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith and 7-year-old Luluvioletta Bandera-Margaret — after their mother, Tonya Bates, 44, was found dead in her Round Round home along the 2100 block of Leslie Court on New Year's Eve. Miles was the dead woman's roommate, according to police, and is a person of interest related to the Bates' demise.

As law enforcement officials focused their search for the girls outside the state, an Amber Alert for them was canceled in Texas. Subsequent to that cancellation, another Amber Alert was issued in Colorado. Concern over the girls' safety was heightened given Miles' long criminal history — with charges ranging from child pornography possession to theft — in various parts of the country.

Earlier story: Suspect In Round Rock Girls' Kidnapping Seen In Colorado

The saga of the missing girls had gripped many not only in the area but throughout Texas and elsewhere as the case made national headlines. While it's tragic the girls lost their mother, news of their safety was met with collective elation. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo — formerly the police chief in Austin — offered Banks congratulations while wishing the entire Round Rock force well wishes for the new year.

"Proud of your team," Acevedo wrote Banks on Twitter. "Here's to a great year for you all. Be safe and all the best in 2018, my friend."

>>> Image via Shutterstock