SORRENTO, Fla. — Authorities in Lake County say two foster children who went missing from the Sorrento area this week have been found safe by law enforcement in Louisiana with their biological mother, Dixie Williams. 

Tillie Claire Williams, 5, and Natalia Williams, 1, were last seen at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at their foster home. 

The Lake County Sheriff's Office obtained an arrest warrant Friday for Dixie, who they suspected of taking the children. Lake County officials said their mother is now in custody on two counts of kidnapping. 

The Lake County Sheriff's Office did not release any further details on how they were found. 

Before the girls went missing late Wednesday night, officials said they participated in a Florida Department of Children and Families Zoom call with their biological parents that day. 

According to an affidavit, the girls' biological parents lost in-person visitation rights three weeks ago. According to the foster mom, that angered Dixie. The foster mom told detectives that on Jan. 22 she allowed Dixie to borrow her Nissan Pathfinder. When Dixie returned the vehicle, the foster dad noticed the neighborhood pass was missing, the affidavit stated. They believe that's how Dixied entered the residential area, and then took the girls through a window in the bedroom they shared, authorities said.

"DCF had taken custody from these parents for some reason a year and a half ago," Lake County Sheriff's Office Lt. John Herrell said. "This parent doesn't have legal rights to this child. That's why we're throwing everything in the kitchen sink at it to try and locate them and return them home safely."

Investigators said the sheriff's office has made contact with the girls' biological father, but no information was released on what, if any, role he may have played in the alleged kidnapping.

"We’re trying to go through a lot of security cameras and trying to determine exactly how they got in. We do know there was a silver Nissan midsize sport utility that came into the neighborhood (Wednesday) evening, so obviously that is a vehicle we’d like to know more about," said Herrell.

We will update this story as more information is released.