Texas Department of Public Safety
The Texas Department of Public Safety issued an Amber Alert Friday morning for two missing girls who authorities say were abducted from their grandmother during supervised visitation with their noncustodial father at a McKinney restaurant Thursday night.
Law enforcement officials said in the alert that they believe Jessica Burns, 9, and Jennifer Burns, 6, are “in serious or imminent danger.”
Police are looking for the girls’ grandmother, Jaime Burns, a 60-year-old woman, in connection with the abduction.
** AMBER ALERT – PLEASE SHARE **
(McKinney, Texas, January 20, 2023) – The McKinney Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating two young girls who were abducted last night.
An Amber Alert has been issued for 9-year-old Jessica Burns and her sister, (MORE) pic.twitter.com/2yllwphdss
— McKinney Police (@McKinneyPolice) January 20, 2023
Officials said during a press conference taped by KXAS-TV that the two girls were temporarily taken into custody by CPS. They disappeared during a supervised visit with their father at a restaurant near Central Expressway and Virginia Parkway.
The CPS worker called 911 and the father, Justin Burns, was taken into custody at the restaurant. He is in the Collin County Jail and faces two counts of kidnapping, officials said.
Carla Marion Reeves, spokeswoman for the McKinney Police Department, said police believe the father was involved in the kidnapping.
Reeves said the grandmother believed to have abducted the girls has a criminal record.
“That’s why it’s imperative at this point that we find Jennifer and Jessica and get them back safely,” Reeves said during the press conference.
Jaime Burns was scheduled to appear in court Friday morning on charges she exposed the two girls and a third granddaughter to methamphetamine in 2021 when they lived with her and their father in Allen, KTVT-TV reported, according to court records. She was trying to flee the home with the children when a police officer arrested her in the incident, CBS reported.
In 2021, Allen police were called to a home Jaime Burns shared with his son and 3 granddaughters (Jennifer, Jessica and their sister) for a “possible disturbance.” An officer noted that Jaime had tried to take off with the girls. The police stopped them and found methamphetamine near the children. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/owxARsMrGO
— Andrea Lucia (@CBS11Andrea) January 20, 2023
The girls were last seen shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday in the area of 320 North Central Expressway in McKinney.
According to the report, Burns is believed to be driving a black 2009 Ford Escape with Texas license plate: MTC6093.. The SUV has a white scratch on the front, silver door handles and a black interior.
Jessica Burns is 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 90 pounds. She was last seen wearing dark rimmed glasses, a red long sleeve shirt with black shoulders/sleeves and blue jeans.
Jennifer Burns is 4 feet tall, weighs about 60 pounds, and was last seen wearing purple rimmed glasses, a light blue shirt with a sparkly design on the front, and blue jeans.
Jaime Burns is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 230 pounds. She was last seen wearing black clothes.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the children or the suspect is asked to call 911 or contact the McKinney Police Department at 972-547-2758. Anyone seen should call 911, while the other number is for other tips and information, police said.
This story was originally published on January 20, 2023, 8:22 am.
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