Missing kids found barricaded in room with mom at grandma’s home, Arkansas cops say
Four children missing since last year were found Tuesday, three of them barricaded with their mom in a safe room at their grandmother’s Arkansas home.
Their mother, Lisa Goodman, lost custody of the kids but refused to turn them over to authorities and reportedly fled the state, according to the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office.
They were ages 5, 7, 15 and 16 at the time Goodman lost custody, KATV reported.
Following an investigation in 2020, the four siblings were declared missing.
But on Monday, the sheriff’s office received a tip that a child matching the description of one of the kids was seen at a home in the small town of Carlisle, a home belonging to their grandmother, Kathy Tustison. Deputies showed up at the house the next day.
When Tustison answered the door for the deputies, she said she hadn’t seen her daughter or grandkids.
The deputies had a search warrant and inside they found a barricaded safe room with Goodman and three of the children.
“Negotiations were attempted, but Goodman refused to open the door or even acknowledge our presence,” the sheriff’s office said, so they tried a different tactic. “Operators with the LCSO Emergency Response Team successfully rescued the children and took Goodman into custody safely.”
Goodman and Tustison were arrested and face charges including four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, interference with custody, and obstructing governmental operations, the sheriff’s office said. A man named Zean Tustison was also arrested.
