BELTON, Texas — Two Belton children reported missing Friday were found Saturday with a truck driver in Winslow, Arizona, police said.
The Belton Police Department said the children were originally thought to be runaways.
"We’ve been behind the scenes working with Winslow PD in locating and bringing home two of our students," BPD wrote in a Facebook post. "Initially they were reported as runaways. With the diligence and perseverance of our night shift, we learned otherwise and were able to locate them and bring them home before an alert could be issued."
Belton police contacted the Winslow Police Department to notify them of the missing 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother. The information led police to a semi-truck in Winslow, officials said.
Winslow officers made contact with the truck's driver, 47-year-old Marshall Pendergrass of Florida, and found the siblings in the truck's sleeper cab, according to Winslow PD.
Winslow police said an investigation revealed Pendergrass was not related to the children and had held them against their will.
The siblings were turned over to Arizona Child Protective Services and appeared to be in good physical condition, officials said.
Pendergrass was taken into custody and is being held on pending federal charges.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Winslow PD Criminal Investigations Division are still investigating the incident, according to WPD officials.