34 year old woman wanted for abducting her 4 children

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Authorities are looking for a Virginia woman facing abduction charges after taking her four children on vacation and never returning home.

Melody Bannister, a 34-year-old woman from Stafford, reported that her children were being abused by a family member. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said those allegations were “unfounded” after an investigation from authorities in June.

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In July, the children’s father was granted custody but Bannister refused “and subsequently petitioned the courts in Alabama requesting custody be issued to her there,” the Sheriff’s Office said. The courts in Alabama ordered Bannister to return the children to their father but, according to authorities, she “absconded from the state of Alabama with her four children and has not been seen since.”

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According to the Sheriff’s Office, the children have since been spotted in several locations across the country:

Birmingham, Alabama – 35201

Moulton, Alabama – 35650

Greenville, South Carolina – 29601

Shell Lake, Wisconsin – 54871

Madison, WI – 53701

Spooner, WI – 54801

Maryville, Tennessee – 37801

Knoxville, Tennessee – 37901

Lexington, Kentucky – 40502

Leadville, CO – 80429

Raleigh, NC – 27601

Aransas Pass, TX – 78335

Dallas, TX – 75201

Corpus Christie, Texas – 78401

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Due to recent developments, investigators believe the children could be in danger. Bannister is wanted on one felony charge of violating a court order, four misdemeanor charges of abduction and filing a false police report.

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