ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A local girl police say was illegally taken by her biological mother to California last week is back home.

Rochester police say 5-year-old Laylani "Lilly" Ortiz was located safely in Southern California after a motel clerk in San Diego called police from recognizing the girl's mother on a flier.

Her mother, Renee Stong, took the little girl out of the state earlier this week. San Diego police arrested Stong without incident.

A family lawyer says Stong suffers from mental illness. She allegedly took Ortiz off of a school bus Wednesday on her way home from Exploration Elementary Charter School, despite only having visitation rights. Police say Stong immediately took the girl to the airport and flew to Southern California.

Lisa Clark, the head of the school Ortiz attends, says they're looking into how the little girl was allowed off the bus.

An emailed statement read, "The school followed all necessary steps and protocol and made sure the child was placed onto the proper bus with all other children assigned to that bus, as it is obligated to do. The school is trying to determine why the child was subsequently released after she had already been placed onto the bus."

Laylani's guardian, Inez Tores, flew back to Rochester with the 5-year-old on Sunday.

Stong, meanwhile, is in San Diego police custody awaiting extradition.