A Missouri mother and her wife have been charged with interference with custody in the disappearance of three young boys last month.
Court documents say that Brittany Barnes and Ceairah Beverly picked up the three boys from their grandmother’s home for an unsupervised visit on March 23, KOLR reported.
The grandmother, Audrey Beverly, is the custodial guardian of Ryder Green, 10; Resean Green, 9; and Ramello Green, 8. Barnes and Ceairah Beverly picked up the boys to take them to a scheduled court appearance that day, but neither they nor the children showed up, prompting the court to begin looking for them.
Investigators believe they are in the Tucson, Arizona, area, where Barnes’s mother, Shelby Tackett-Barnes, lives.
Tackett-Barnes initially told police she knew where her daughter and the children were, but she stopped cooperating when she learned that the children would be returned to Missouri and put into state custody. Police reports say that she has since told investigators she didn’t know where the children were and that she had limited contact with Barnes, that the children were not in Arizona and that her daughter was going to “sue everyone for taking her kids,” and that Barnes hadn’t broken any laws and was now an Arizona resident.
Investigators said that on March 31, the children’s food stamp card was used in Queen Creek, Arizona, just outside Phoenix.
Court records say Barnes, the biological mother of the children, and Beverly lost custody of the children in January over allegations of drug use, criminal activity, lack of supervision, and lack of school attendance.
Ramello is described as 4 feet 3 inches tall and 74 pounds; Resean is 4 feet 4 inches tall and 77 pounds; and Ryder is 4 feet 9 inches tall and 116 pounds. All three boys have brown hair and eyes.
The two women are both 30 years old. Beverly is 5 feet 2 inches tall and 170 pounds with brown hair and eyes. Barnes is 5 feet 7 inches tall and 130 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Missouri authorities said that Arizona agencies and the FBI are assisting with the case.
Anyone with information is asked to immediately dial 911 to contact the nearest law enforcement agency or call the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department at 417-864-1810.
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[Featured image: Ryder, Resean, and Ramello Green/Springfield Police Department]