AURORA, IL – Authorities say a Texas woman was taken into custody this week after allegedly attempting to carry out the paid kidnapping of two children, with the intention of smuggling them into Mexico at the request of their non-custodial father.

Cindy Sanchez, 47, faces multiple charges, including two counts each of kidnapping by deceit or enticement, unlawful restraint, and child abduction by a parent without custody. Records from the 16th Judicial Circuit confirm the charges, stemming from events that unfolded Thursday.

The situation began when Aurora Police responded to a report of a possible abduction at a residence on Rosewood Avenue around 3:30 p.m. According to investigators, family members were alarmed after an unknown woman arrived at the home, claiming she needed to take the 11- and 13-year-old children on behalf of their mother to another state. The children’s mother, however, denied giving anyone permission to take them.

Acting quickly, local law enforcement joined forces with the Chicago Police Department to locate the children. The search led officers to Midway International Airport in Chicago, where Sanchez was located with both minors. Officers arrested Sanchez at the scene, and the two children were found unharmed.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Sanchez, a Fort Worth, Texas resident, is related to the children’s father. Further evidence suggested that the children’s father, who lacks legal custody, had allegedly paid Sanchez to retrieve the children and bring them across the southern border into Mexico.

Authorities say Sanchez’s plan involved taking the children out of Illinois and eventually out of the country, bypassing custody arrangements in place for their protection. The successful recovery at Midway International Airport brought the potential kidnapping plot to a halt before the children could be removed from the area.

Sanchez was booked Friday at the Kane County Adult Justice Center, but was released Saturday morning following a court appearance. She is due back in court for a status hearing scheduled for September 18.

Officials highlighted that neither child suffered any physical harm during the incident, and both have since been reunited with their custodial family members.

No further details have been released regarding possible charges against the children’s father or whether federal authorities will be involved, given the alleged cross-border nature of the intended abduction.

The case remains under investigation as law enforcement officials continue to gather evidence surrounding the alleged kidnapping attempt and the wider circumstances that led to the reported incident.