A South Florida mother found herself in custody after an alleged violation of a custody order, attempting to leave Miami International Airport with her two children, both of whom had been reported missing just the day prior; Shandrell Deon Willis, aged 36, was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies at around 1:30 p.m. yesterday, as Local 10 News reported.
According to the arrest report, the father returned home from his job to a "ransacked" residence and discovered his children missing which prompted him to immediately contact the authorities, noting that he had not given permission for anyone to take the children – this, a developing situation that led to the swift publishing of a missing child alert, the Sheriff's Office looking for the 10-year-old and 6-year-old siblings. Willis is facing charges that include two counts of interference with parental custody, removing a child from the state, and violating a domestic violence injunction, all detailed in county jail records.
When the missing child alert garnered public attention, it did not take long for investigators to pinpoint the whereabouts of Ivy, Devin, and their half-sibling at MIA, joined by Willis' teenage daughter from another relationship, this insight courtesy of NBC Miami. The children reportedly informed the officers that Willis had taken them to a hotel, with intentions to fly out to either Georgia or Texas; unfortunately for Willis, issues with payment for the tickets had prevented them from boarding a flight, leading them to search for more affordable options at the time of the discovery.
The encounter at the airport unfolded with Willis initially denying knowledge of the injunction, only to later recognize its existence after being administered her Miranda rights, the parents' custody battle seemingly contentious with the father granted full custody except for a four-hour supervised visitation every other Saturday, which is regulated by the father's brother, as outlined in the injunction that has been active since February. Post-arrest, Willis requested legal representation and was remanded, without further incident to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, her bond pending to be set, and most notably, the children safely returned to their father in good health and no injuries reported during the course of these tense events.
