By Millicent Martin Emery
A tip led to three Hagerstown women being arrested in Greenfield, Indiana, after police recently accused them of interfering with child custody.
Heather Frost, her sister Abby Frost, and their mother, Nancy Frost, have been taken into custody following a tip regarding their whereabouts.
They were accompanied by the missing children, Emery Oliver and Lane Frost, who were located safely.
Discovery of the family was prompted by a citizen who reported a possible location for the Frosts to Wayne County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, Sept. 13.
The person had seen photos of the women and children on media announcements and recognized the group, according to Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter.
Retter had sent out a media release Sept. 5, seeking the public’s help in finding the women and children. He said the three family members had absconded with three kids, withholding two from their fathers and deliberately ignoring a court order.
Last week, Retter told Western Wayne News that the sheriff’s department sent out its own publicity on the case because the children were not believed to be in eminent danger, and they were not taken by strangers. Thus, the situation did not rise to the level of a state Amber or Silver Alert.
After receiving the tip, working in conjunction with the United States Marshal Service, a search warrant was served and additional evidence was found, leading investigators to a hotel in Greenfield, Retter said.
Members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force responded to the hotel and found the three women and three children there.
Heather, 35, Abby, 28, and Nancy, 59, who all are listed in jail records as living on Indiana 1 North in Hagerstown, were arrested on outstanding warrants.
Nancy’s warrant was on a charge of interfering with custody, a Level 5 felony. Abby’s warrant charges her with interfering with custody (Level 5 felony) and assisting a criminal (Level 6 felony). Heather’s warrant was for a charge of interfering with custody (Level 6 felony), and she also faces a charge of contempt, according to jail records.
The women were booked into Wayne County Jail shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, and were released at 7 that night.
Retter said an investigation into this situation is ongoing.
Lane, age 3, was reunited with his father, Jesse Johnson, per a court order out of Wayne Superior Court 2.
Emery, age 3, and Trace, age 8, were temporarily placed in the care of Department of Child Services.
Retter said he would like to sincerely thank citizens of Wayne County and the surrounding area and the media for their help in spreading the word about the Frosts’ situation.
He also sent special thanks to the citizen who provided information leading to the capture of the Frosts and the children’s safe return.
“Much respect and gratitude is given to the many agencies in the justice system who assisted us in this investigation,” Retter said.