Mom Pleads Not Guilty to Abducting Kids in 1985

Bail was set at $50,000

A woman charged with abducting her two daughters from Rhode Island in 1985 has pleaded not guilty.

Elaine Yates had been living under the name Liana Lynn Waldberg in Houston. She entered her plea Wednesday morning in a courtroom in Warwick, Rhode Island, to one count of abduction.

"We found somethings that eventually led us back to her being Elaine Yates," said Rhode Island Lt. Colonel Joseph Philbin in court. "As soon as it was and when we had the photographs, as soon as you saw the photographs, especially of her because she was older at the time. She hasn't changed much over the years we knew it was her."

A magistrate judge set bail at $50,000 personal recognizance and will allow her to return to Houston to live and work. He also required her to sign a waiver of extradition and surrender her passport.

He set a hearing for Feb. 1 to determine her attorney.

Police tracked down Yates and her daughters, Kelly and Kimberly, after an anonymous tip.

Russell Yates, Kelly and Kimberly's father, had been searching for them for years.

"I've always been trying to find my children. Now it's up to them to get in touch with me," he said. "What happens with my ex-wife, I really don't feel bad about. We gotta find out what's going on."

The children were 10 months and 3 years old when they disappeared. Their father says he wants to see his children.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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