Parents accused of abducting children from Vegas in 2006, kids found in Pleasant Prairie

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WITI/AP) — Authorities say a man and a woman have been arrested in Illinois for allegedly kidnapping their children from Las Vegas nine years ago.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, 40-year old Maria Rosaline Malagon-Castillo and 39-year old Manuel Ruiz-Garcia fled Nevada to avoid an investigation of Malagon-Castillo's alleged drug use during pregnancy. They did not have custody of the children.

They were arrested late Tuesday, January 27th when a Sheriff's deputy spotted suspicious activity at the Truck Stops of America near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.

"He spotted a car amongst the semis. That's when he made contact with the woman, Maria Castillo," Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Curtis Gregory said.

An investigation revealed the man and woman had outstanding warrants out of Las Vegas for non-custodial parental abduction.

"It had something to do with the mother, Maria. When she gave birth to one of the children in 2005, she tested positive for Methamphetamine," Sgt. Gregory said.

Officials say Ruiz-Garcia was in possession of a fake Nevada commercial driver's license that had been suspended.

Nevada officials had ordered the couple to hand over their two children to the state. Instead, they took off. Authorities say the children (ages 14 and nine) were found at a home in the Westwood Estates Mobile Home Park in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. They had been listed as missing through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"It's something you don't see every day," Sgt. Gregory said.

The Sheriff's Office says that the children have been handed over to a family member while the case is reviewed by the Clark County, Nevada Department of Family Services.

"We had a conversation with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and they want them back," Sgt. Gregory said.

We're told the children have been attending school, are polite, and likely had no idea their parents were wanted by law enforcement officials.

Malagon-Castillo and Ruiz-Garcia are being held without bond in the Lake County jail while they await extradition.