Amber Alert issued for 2 sisters missing from Florida foster home. What we know

An Amber Alert was sent out Thursday afternoon, notifying Florida residents about two missing children.

The children disappeared from their Lake County foster home and were considered endangered. On Friday, the Leesburg Daily Commercial reported the girls had been found safe in Louisiana and their mother, Dixie Williams, was arrested on a warrant charging kidnapping.

Here's what we know about the case.

Who were the missing children?

One-year-old Natalia Williams and her sister, 5-year-old Tilli Williams were the missing girls.

Where were the girls last seen?

Before their recovery on Friday, the girls' foster mother called the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 7 a.m. Thursday, saying the two girls were missing from their home in Sorrento.

They were last seen at about 11 p.m.

Who is Dixie Stumpner Williams?

Dixie Williams, 41, is the mother of the missing foster girls.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Daily Commercial, the missing children may have been taken from the residence of Kathleen and Robert Anderson, the foster parents since October 2022, through the bedroom window.

Kathleen Anderson had told investigators that she had allowed Williams to borrow her sport utility vehicle. The neighborhood's access pass was missing after the SUV was returned, the foster parent told police, and that may be how the abductors got into the home. 

Amber Alert issued for missing girls

An Amber Alert for Tilli and Natalia was sent out by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Thursday.

Florida's Amber Alert program was established in 2000 to "broadcast critical information of an abducted child as quickly as possible to the media and general public."

The plan is meant to alert the public in a much broader scope than just the immediate area where a child disappeared.

The program not only sends emails or free text messages to the public, but also uses road signs and lottery machines to notify the public.

Where is Sorrento in Florida?

Sorrento is located about 30 miles northwest of Orlando.

Who to contact about missing children

Call 911 or:

FDLE Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse: 1-888-FL-MISSING (1-888-356-4774)

You can also call local police.

Contributing: Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial