Father Arrested in Kidnapping Case
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LANCASTER — A Utah woman was reunited with her two daughters Monday, a day after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested their 47-year-old father for allegedly kidnapping the children, officials said.
Deputies said they arrested Michael Shaughnessy, 47, when they spotted him Sunday afternoon at a Lancaster motel with the two girls, ages 8 and 12. Shaughnessy allegedly kidnapped his daughters on Nov. 19, 1999, from Jordan, Utah, and had evaded authorities since, officials said.
FBI investigators alerted Antelope Valley authorities that Shaughnessy could be in the area but did not disclose how they knew this, said Lt. Ron Shreves at the Lancaster station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The FBI distributed fliers with pictures of the man and the two girls in the Lancaster area, authorities said.
Shaughnessy is in custody at the Los Angeles County Central Jail, pending extradition to Utah, Shreves said.
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