Two Suwanee brothers returned home on Sunday, the day after they were found safe nearly 1,000 miles away at an Austin, Texas, motel.
Austin police said Henry and Ben Cleary were with their father, Daniel Cleary, when they were found Saturday evening at a motel on the northwest side of the central Texas town. Daniel Cleary was arrested on charges of interfering with child custody.
Another guest at the Crossland Economy Studios motel called police after recognizing the boys and the father’s vehicle from national news reports.
The boys’ mother, Theresa Nash, flew to Austin Saturday night to be reunited with her sons. Mother and sons returned Sunday, and gathered with friends and other family members at the Suwanee Town Center Park to give thanks for their safe return.
“Thank you,” said 9-year-old Ben Cleary. “To everybody in America,” continued younger brother Henry, who turned 8 on Saturday.
“We’re pretty tired,” Nash told Channel 2 Action News on Sunday.
“We had two hours of sleep last night and we’ve been hugging and kissing and saying, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you,’” Nash told the station. “Everywhere we go, people are hugging us and kissing us and praying with us and we are so thankful to every single person that helped to bring Benny and Henry home safe.”
Police in several states had been searching for Daniel Cleary and his sons since last week, when he was supposed to return the boys to their mother’s Suwanee home, authorities said.
When they weren’t returned, police were contacted and an Amber Alert was issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On Friday, police released surveillance footage of Daniel Cleary with the boys on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24 at a Walmart in Chattanooga.
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