Trista Fullerton (left) of Arkansas was arrested after her biological children she abducted were found in California (Pictures: Anderson Police Department)
A mother allegedly abducted her eight biological children from foster homes and took them halfway across the country.
Trista Fullerton, 36, who had lost custody of her kids, was ‘displaying bizarre behavior’ while seen with six children on Saturday afternoon, according to the Anderson Police Department in California.
Cops who responded to a concerned citizen’s welfare check request found Fullerton and the kids in a parking lot and discovered their Dodge pickup truck had an Arkansas license plate.
Officers identified Fullerton as being from Rogers, Arkansas, and having a outstanding felony warrant for abducting eight children. She was arrested and interviewed for the whereabouts of the two other missing kids.
A pickup truck with an Arkansas license plate was linked to Trista Fullerton (Picture: Anderson Police Department)
Trista Fullerton was booked into Shasta County Jail (Picture: Anderson Police Department)
The mother said they were at a home in the Cottonwood area, and deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office assisted in finding them and taking them to a local children and family services agency.
‘Officers learned that Fullerton was the biological mother of all of the children, however had lost her custodial rights and had abducted the children from their foster placements,’ stated Anderson police on Saturday.
All eight of the children were listed as abducted and protective custody warrants had been issued for them. All of them were found safe.
Fullerton was booked into Shasta County Jail in connection with the arrest warrant from Arkansas.
Trista Fullerton was found with six of her children in a parking lot in California (Picture: Anderson Police Department)
Shasta County Children and Family Services worked to reunify Fullerton’s children with their guardians in Arkansas.
It was not immediately known why Fullerton lost custody of her eight kids, or how long she was with them before being arrested.
The police department shared an image of Fullerton with handcuffs and looking downcast upon arrest. The department also posted a picture of the pickup truck trashed with various items like food wrappers, a soda bottle, plastic and paper bags on the floor and dashboard. The white pickup truck was parked outside of a Mexican restaurant in the parking lot.
Both the police department and sheriff’s office thanked the citizen who made the welfare check call and reminded the public that if they see something suspicious, they should say something.
Trista Fullerton’s eight biological children were found safe halfway across the US.