Four children located after alleged abduction by mother

LIMA, Ohio (FOX 13) - Police in Ohio say they have located four abducted children, who are now safe and in protective custody.

The alleged abduction sparked a multi-state alert including Florida, where the children's alleged abductor was thought to be headed.

Lima police said, after an extensive search and investigation involving multiple agencies and the FBI, the children were found in Kenton, Ohio.

The children's mother and another man have been detained. Charges were pending in the case.

Lima police first suspected the four children: a 13-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy, a 9-year-old girl, and an 8-year-old boy - had been taken by their mother, 40-year-old Marianne Merritt, who has no custodial rights to the four children.

Police thought she and her boyfriend, 39-year-old Charles Perkins, may have been heading to Florida from Lima, which is two hours northwest of Columbus, Ohio.