NEED TO KNOW
- California authorities issued an AMBER alert for the missing children about 19 hours after they disappeared
- Cristal Ordonez, 45, is suspected by authorities of abducting them but is not facing charges as of Thursday morning
- The relationship between the three was not immediately clear
Authorities in Southern California have issued an AMBER Alert for two young children who were last seen on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Romeo Ordonez, 12, and Sofia Ordonez, 9, disappeared from Santa Clarita, Calif., around 1:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol said in an alert issued around dawn Thursday, Jan. 29.
Authorities believe the children are with 45-year-old Cristal Ordonez, per the alert.
The relationship between the three was not immediately clear.
The suspect, police believe, is driving a 2018 KIA Sorenta-Black with the California license plate 8LRF237.
The alert was issued by CHP on behalf of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone who may have seen the children and the woman are urged to call 911.
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While this is a suspected abduction, no charges have been announced against Cristal as of Thursday morning.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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