What to Know
- Police in multiple states searched for the 12-year-old twins after they went missing earlier this week
- Sisters Rickhia and Nicolette McClam were last seen at their father’s home in South Florida and thought to be headed to NYC, officials said
- They were found after a few days in their godmother's home in Pompano Beach
Twelve-year-old twins who sparked a frantic multi-state search spanning more than 1,000 miles after they went missing earlier this week have been found safe, authorities say.
Sisters Rickhia McClam and Nicolette McClam were last seen at their father’s home in South Florida on Tuesday. Authorities had thought they could be heading to New York City to be with their mother, who lives in Harlem.
But the sisters never left Florida at all, authorities say. They were found at their godmother's home in Pompano Beach, and investigators believe they were there the entire time authorities were looking for them. The girls were not hurt.
Their parents have been embroiled in a contentious custody battle for years, and their mother, Natonia Dutes, had said they were talking about running away during a visit to New York last weekend.
Dutes says the girls told her: “We want to run away, we don’t want to be there.”
