Two children who were considered ‘critically missing’ after they vanished from Washington State nearly three years ago have been found across the country living under new names, police say.

The US Marshals Service announced on Wednesday that the children were found safely in Virginia near the greater Washington, DC area.

The children, who have not been identified, were first reported missing to the Redmond, Washington Police Department in December 2023.

Without any new leads in the case, the police department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children last month requested the US Marshals Service’s help in finding the children.

Members of the agency’s Missing Child Unit then followed investigative leads across three states with the help of the US Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Arlington Police Department.

Eventually, the Marshals Service said: ‘It was determined that the children’s mother had taken them after losing custody and concealed their names in an attempt to evade law enforcement.’

The children were then returned to their father’s custody on September 16.

It remains unclear whether their mother will face any criminal charges.

The US Marshals Service also noted that the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 expanded the agency’s authority to assist law enforcement in recovering endangered missing children – even when no fugitive or sex offender is involved.

The Marshals Service then established the Missing Child Unit to oversee and manage its implementation.

Since the act passed in 2015, Marshals said the agency has contributed to the location or recovery of 5,281 missing children.