HOUSTON — Rhode Island State Police say two children reported missing in 1985 have been found in the Houston area and their noncustodial mother has been charged with snatching them.

Police said Tuesday, Jan. 17, an anonymous tip two days before Christmas led them to Kimberly and Kelly Yates, and their 69-year-old mother, Elaine Yates.

Court documents show that Yates legally changed her name to Liana Waldberg in 2009.

According to LinkedIn, she worked at a Southwest Houston collections agency. Officials at the agency declined to give comments about Yates.

Neighbors at the Galleria-area condo complex where she lived, said she mostly kept to herself. They were stunned to learn a fugitive was living next door.

“If somebody does something wrong then they should be brought to justice at one time or another. Everybody makes mistakes — she should admit the mistake and pay the consequences,” said Richard Perez, an apartment resident.

Brittany Hammers, a neighbor who lives across the street from Yates, was shock to hear the secret her neighbor kept.

“I’ve met her a couple of times, but oh my God, I have goose bumps. That’s crazy. I never thought that,” Hammers said.

Yates was arrested without incident and faces arraignment Wednesday in Texas on a fugitive charge. She is charged with two counts of child snatching.

Rick Archer, a longtime friend of Yates said, “This is a decent, friendly warm person. If she absconded with her daughters, I would willing to guess she did it to escape an impossible situation.”

Kelly was ten months old when she went missing. Her sister Kimberly was 3. Kelly, now 32, and Kimberly, now 35, were not living with their mother but were in the Houston area.

“It is pretty rare …It was a very high-profile case back in the day,” Lt. Col. Joseph F. Philbin said. (The) 31-year-old warrant was still in the system and valid. She was successful for 31 years.”

Police said their father, Russell Yates, has been informed and is “relieved.” It’s up to his daughters whether to contact him.

“The whole thing was I’ve always been trying to find my children. And now at least, it’s up to them to get in touch with me. What happens with my ex-wife, I really feel bad about, but we got (to) find out what’s going on,” Russell Yates said.

When asked if his ex-wife should be prosecuted, he said, “I don’t think it’s going to help her, me or anybody else. I just want to see my kids.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety released the following statement on the situation:

“On Monday, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) assisted the Rhode Island State Police with the arrest of fugitive Elaine Yates. The Texas Rangers confirmed she was living in the Houston area, and Rhode Island State Police and Texas Rangers made the arrest in Harris County. Yates was initially booked into the Harris County Jail, and is being escorted back to Rhode Island by Rhode Island State Police today.”

The psychological impact this kidnapping has had on the girls, who are now women, remains to be seen.

Dr. Asim Shah, chief of psychiatry at Ben Taub Hospital, has noted that most kidnapping victims know their abductors.

Source: WTHR