Parents Convicted Months After Kidnapping Children

Source: Photo Courtesy of IMPD / Silver Alert

INDIANAPOLIS — You may remember hearing about a man and a woman who were accused of kidnapping their kids and going to Texas earlier this year. They have now been convicted of various crimes.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office says Willie and Jessika Terrell have been convicted of interference with custody, kidnapping, and criminal confinement.

A Silver Alert had been declared for them – as well as their children Frankie, Queen, and King – in early July.

The Terrells had apparently been with the kids’ grandfather – and legal guardian – at a restaurant on Vincennes Road when they disappeared. Days later, they were found safe in Pearsall, Texas.

On the day the children were rescued, officers got into a standoff with the parents at a hotel. They later learned that the two had been planning to go over the border to Mexico with their children.

Willie and Jessika had lost custody because of “medical neglect” in October of 2023.