SAN ANTONIO — Law enforcement converged on a motel in Pearsall, Texas, where an hourslong standoff ended when two adults and three children emerged late Tuesday night. The couple was being sought by police after reportedly taking their three children, of whom they do not have custody.
The Frio County sheriff said the couple’s children — 4-year-old Frankie, 3-year-old Queen and 1-year-old King — are safe and are being cared for. A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety said the children were being taken in for a medical evaluation.
The disappearances of Frankie, Queen and King Terrell prompted a Silver Alert in Indiana on Friday; police there believe the siblings, ranging in age from 1 to 4 years old, were taken by their noncustodial parents possibly en route to Mexico.
Officers in Pearsall took Willie and Jessika Terrell into custody Tuesday night, and they are being booked into the Frio County Jail, the sheriff said.
“Everyone surrendered peacefully,” said Texas DPS Spokesperson Orlando De Luna Jr. around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday “Everyone walked out of the hotel, so there didn’t appear to be any injuries.”
The standoff began around 3 p.m. and eventually involved the efforts of FBI, Texas Troopers and Texas Rangers, as well as local and county authorities. Pearsall is a city of about 8,800 residents and located about 55 miles southwest of San Antonio.
Video shared to KENS 5 by Corners News provides a daytime glimpse of the large police response earlier in the standoff.
