AMBER Alert canceled after sisters found safe; father arrested

An Amber Alert issued Wednesday morning for two young girls who were possibly abducted by their father after he shot and killed their mother has been canceled after the girls were found safe, officials say. 

Arya Maldonado, 3, and Alana Maldonado, 2, were located and appear to be unharmed, according to the Kings County Sheriff's Office. 

Their father, 23-year-old Jonathan Maldonado-Cruz, was taken into custody.

"Thank you to everyone who assisted in spreading the word to help locate Alana and Arya," the Kings County Sheriff's Office posted. "The case developed quickly thanks to the support of the community."

Authorities were alerted to the girls' possible abduction after deputies responded to a home in Hanford on Jan. 28 for a welfare check on an adult female, later determined to be their mother. She was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound.

No further details were immediately available.

Crime and Public SafetyCalifornia