Father of girls who went missing from a Leavenworth home arrested. 2 boys found dead
Donny Jackson, the father of two girls who went missing from a home in Leavenworth on Saturday, has been arrested, and the girls are safe.
Officers were initially called to the home, where they found two boys dead and their siblings missing.
Jackson’s vehicle was found by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol around mile marker 6 near Erick, Oklahoma, about 500 miles from the Leavenworth home where the girls went missing and two boys were found dead, law enforcement said.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert for two girls under the age of 10 who went missing from the home.
Just after 1 p.m., the alert said, the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office was called to the 14900 block of Hillside Road, where they discovered the boys.
One of the children was supposed to be at a soccer game Saturday, but didn’t show. Family members then went to the home where they found the boys.
Two girls, 7-year-old Nora Jackson and 3-year-old Aven Jackson, were missing from the home. Police said they believe the girl’s father, Jackson, abducted them.
The search was expanded and Kansas Amber Alerts tweeted after officials learned that the Kansas Highway Patrol had made an unrelated car stop on Donny Jackson’s vehicle on Highway 169 near the Oklahoma border just after 12:30 p.m.
The abducted children were in the vehicle the report said. The 911 call that sparked the Amber Alert wasn’t made until after 1 p.m. Amber Alerts were issued in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas
Leavenworth County Undersheriff Jim Sherley said law enforcement has “had dealings” with Jackson before.
Police said they believe that the 11- and 14-year-old boys who were killed were brothers of the two abducted girls.
“In a case like this, of course it’s difficult for an entire family, for a community, and for law enforcement as well; anytime a child is involved in a crime, it amps up the feelings,” Sherley said. “All of our deputies are family members or parents themselves so when something like this transpires, it’s difficult on the first responders, the family and the community at large.”
If you have seen a missing child, suspect or suspect’s vehicle or have other information on a missing child, police ask you to call 911 or 1-800-KS-CRIME.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Father of girls who went missing from a Leavenworth home arrested. 2 boys found dead."
