Two women were arrested after the bodies of two girls who had been missing for years were found in the backyard of a Pennsylvania home, police reported from Old Lycoming, a small township 130 miles from Philadelphia.
Local authorities on Monday identified the bodies of Nicole Snyder, 6, and Jasmine Snyder, 4, who had been buried in the yard since 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The girls' mother,
Marye Snyder, 32, and her partner, Echo Butler, 26, were arrested
on charges of endangering children and obstruction of justice, pending resolution of the investigation for alleged homicide.
Chris Kriner, head of the local police department, assured that they are investigating "the manner of death, the motive and the chronology of the events."
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The Pennsylvania Department of Children and Youth Services had previously taken over custody of another 7-year-old Marie Snyder's son after receiving reports about the minor's "educational issues."
It was then that the officials learned that the woman had two other children who were missing, and asked the police for help last September to locate them.
The mother told them that they had gone to live with a friend, but did not provide them with information about this alleged person, according to the police.
The girls' father reported last seeing them in 2015, the same year they last went to the doctor, according to local authorities.
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Marie Snyder was arrested at her workplace in Clinton County on November 4 but refused to provide information on the whereabouts of the missing girls, Kriner said.
Their property was searched several times in the following days, until last weekend the remains of the girls were found.
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The police chief said that it is
"a terrible and horrific situation"
and promised that his investigation will not be concluded until "justice is done on behalf of these two girls."
He further noted that other agencies, including the state police and the FBI, assisted in the search.
The two women are being held without bail pending a preliminary hearing on November 17.
