Brian Mejias

LIVE OAK, Fla. — The two Texas children that were reported missing in Live Oak on Thursday afternoon were found safe back in Houston, Texas, on Friday morning.

An Amber Alert was issued Thursday evening for the disappearance of 7-year-old Brian Mejias and 6-year-old Gabriela Mejias. 

The children were last seen at the JK Food Mart convenience store at 969 Ohio Ave. N in Live Oak at the intersection with Winderweedle St. on Thursday afternoon around 3:30 p.m.

According to Suwannee County Sheriff Sam St. John, authorities were able to confirm reports Friday that the children were with their grandma in Texas on Friday. The alert has been called off.

The children went missing after the owner of the convenience store flagged down Live Oak Police Officer Tim Parisi to report that a woman leaving the store was a fraud suspect after trying to pass a bad check, according to the LOPD.

While detaining the woman, Parisi discovered additional checks similar to the one that was attempted to be cashed at the store, the LOPD release states.

The store owner told police that a Hispanic man that accompanied the woman had fled the scene, jumped into a vehicle and left in an unknown direction, according to the release.

The woman told authorities she left Texas on Tuesday night in a grey Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban and arrived in Live Oak today at Walmart where she was met by two other vehicles, a black Toyota Camry with Texas plates and dark tinted windows and a beige Chevy Tahoe or Suburban, according to the LOPD.

The release states that the caravan went to several stores trying to cash checks before being confronted about the counterfeit checks at the JK Food Mart and the male suspect fled from the store in the car with the children.

One car was believed to be driven by a male named Rochie in the three-vehicle caravan and another was possibly driven by a male named Melecio with a female passenger named Alexia.

It was thought the vehicles were headed back to Texas or possibly Madison, Florida, where relatives lived.