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Mother Facing Charges In Case Of Missing Lakeville Sisters

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The mother linked to the 2013 disappearance of two Lakeville sisters was arrested Sunday in Florida and is facing charges in the case in Dakota County, according to Lakeville Police.

The U.S. Marshal's Office said Sandra Grazzini-Rucki was taken into custody in Kissimmee, Fla., and was booked into the Osceola County Jail. The Lakeville Police Department said Monday that two months ago, the Dakota County Attorney's Office charged her with three counts of deprivation of parental rights.

The charges were published in a local newspaper, and authorities said she was unable to be found. Her arrest Sunday was on three outstanding warrants for deprivation of parental rights out of Dakota County. Information came forward, implicating Grazzini-Rucki and two other adults as orchestrating and assisting in the disappearance of the two teenagers.

Rucki Sisters, Gianna, Samantha, Missing, Lakeville Sisters
Grazzini-Rucki Sisters (credit: CBS)

Her daughters, Samantha and Gianna, were 14 and 13 when they disappeared back on April 19, 2013. Authorities said it was 30 degrees on the day of their disappearance and neither of them had jackets.

The Lakeville Police Department and the U.S. Marshal's Office are moving forward on leads to find Samantha and Gianna. During the investigation, authorities have learned that the taking of the girls and keeping them in hiding has involved a network of individuals. Lakeville Police say they have a list of persons of interest in the case.

Authorities say members of the network who have had a hand in the abduction of the children and keeping them in hiding could face felony charges for their involvement. Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Lakeville Police Department tip line at (952) 985-2840.

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