Miami-Dade police

Missing Child Alert Issued for Two Sisters from North Miami

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a Missing Child Alert for two sisters missing since Thursday.

FDLE said 8-year-old Isabella Fernandez and her sister, 13-year-old Michelle, were last seen in the 1500 block of NE 191 Street in Miami.

Police believe the siblings may be in the company of their father, 44-year-old Mike Fernandez, and another adult, Anne-Marie McCrink. But neither adult has custody of the girls. Police said their grandmother does.

"On Wednesday night the grandmother put the kids to bed and when she woke up to get them ready for school they weren't there and she called us," said John Barrow of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Detectives went door to door with flyers Friday, meeting with neighbors near the girls' parents' home along Northwest 200th Street.

As of dinner time, no one had heard from the parents, then Jack Teachman, a neighbor, said he got a call from the father.

"Well he sounded pretty positive on the phone with me. He said they're fine, and said he will contact police tomorrow," Teachman said.

Teachman said he's known the family for years - and that they've had their struggles. DCF removed the girls from their parents' home and gave the grandmother custody.

He doesn't suspect the girls are in danger, but he advised the father to call police.

"I told him, look if you have nothing to hide then you need to call them and talk to them and tell them where they're at. Let them talk to the kids and you'll be alright."

"The grandparents have custody, not the parents so it behooves the parents if they have these two girls to come forward," Barrow said.

A close family friend said the girls are now in Puerto Rico, but police have not confirmed that information.

"Their safety is a concern right now nothing else is concerning, but they need to find out where the girls are and make sure they're all right."

A neighbor said she saw the family packing bags on Thursday, and talked about selling their home.

FDLE says the family may be traveling in a 2003 gold Dodge Caravan with a paper tag. The tag number is BJZ1632.

Anyone with information about the girls' whereabouts should contact the Miami-Dade Police Department, Special Victims Bureau at (305) 418-7200 or Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).

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