Two young brothers reported missing in Ohio in October were found thousands of miles away in Iceland this month, the U.S. Marshals Service announced.
Deputies based in northern Ohio said the children, whose names have not been released, are 8 and 9 years old. Icelandic police announced on January 10 that the man had been found at a hotel in the capital Reykjavik.
On October 25, the family reported the children missing to state police. The children’s mother, who has also not been publicly identified, stopped taking her mental health medication and abandoned the apartment, and the children no longer attend school, sheriff’s officials said.
State police eventually asked the sheriff’s office for assistance, the statement said. The search also included assistance from the State Department, Interpol, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and authorities in England and Iceland.
Officials said the mother took the children to London, the English Channel island of Jersey and a remote fishing village in Iceland before being found in Reykjavik.
“The children were placed in the care of an Icelandic social services facility until they could be placed in the custody of a trusted family member,” the sheriff’s office said. “The mother was admitted to the hospital and will remain there until she is well enough to return to the United States.”
State police could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
Reykjavik is approximately 3,000 miles from Canton.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement that the children would not have been found had it not been for dedicated law enforcement officers who helped bring them home.
“The cooperation of efforts in this case cannot be understated,” he said. “The ability to respond to and rescue these children overseas is an extremely difficult mission. Our investigators have done an outstanding job. We are proud to have such strong and dedicated law enforcement partners. We are fortunate to have them and should be commended for their efforts in helping bring these children home.”
