UPDATE: The two children believed to have been taken by their mother in Mississippi have been found safe.
Louisiana State Police say that the mother and suspect, 33-year-old Latina Marie Oates is now in custody.
On Tuesday night, the Louisiana State Police issued an advisory on the missing children on behalf of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and the Laurel Police Department.
The two children were believed to have been taken by their mother and were believed to be in imminent danger. The search began after the three were last seen on surveillance video leaving the Hampton Inn in Laurel, MS (Jones County) during the early morning hours of March 17, 2020.
State Police say that Oates of Powell, OH, left with two of her children, 9-year-old Mark Anthony Oates and 6-year-old Justin Lamar Oates.
Shortly after their departure from the hotel room, an arrest warrant was issued for Oates for the charge of First Degree Murder. Oates was believed to be in the New Orleans area with her two children.
