Police search for Massachusetts mother accused of kidnapping 5 children
Fitchburg police are looking for a missing mother and her five children. Ruth Encarnacion's family said they are concerned for her since they haven't heard from her in at least a week.
Fitchburg police say they're trying to find Ruth, Isael Rivera and the five young children they live with who are a 10-year-old boy, 9-year-old boy, 5-year-old boy, 4-year-old girl and 9-month-old baby boy.
Encarnacion and Rivera are wanted on warrants for five counts of Custodial Kidnapping of a Minor by a Relative.
DCF reported children missing
The family is in the Department of Children and Families' system, who have reported the kids missing.
Investigators think they might be traveling in a black 2018 Infiniti SUV with the Massachusetts plate 5GCX18.
The word is getting around in the community and neighbors are sharing fliers online, hoping for the best.
"I don't know what's going on, but all I know is that we just have to get them back," said Luis Melendez of Fitchburg. "If your kids were missing, how do you think you would act? You would act the same way and that's the way I would act if my kids were missing, I would definitely go find them."
Why there was no AMBER Alert
Police said they looked at the possibility of an AMBER Alert, but AMBER Alerts are not intended for missing child incidents involving parental kidnapping or child custody situations where there is no specific information about the children being in imminent danger.
Anyone who knows anything about their whereabout or recognizes the black SUV, please call Fitchburg police at 978-345-9650.