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Missing children found safe in Polk County after they disappeared in October: SPPD

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two children who have been missing since October were found in Polk County.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD), the children were found after a traffic stop in Polk County Saturday that led to the arrest of their caretakers, Twanda Neal, 34, and Anthony Davis, 50.

The two boys, ages 12 and 14, were last seen on Oct. 9, 2024, in the 500 block of 6th Avenue South in St. Petersburg.

According to SPPD, Neal took the 12-year-old child to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital for an illness in October. Neal refused to continue treatment at the hospital and removed the child from the hospital against the doctor's recommendations.

Neal is in the Polk County Jail and charged with child neglect.

Davis was charged with two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence from the traffic stop in Polk County.

The children are safe and in state custody, according to officials.


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