OCALA, Fla. – Two children were reported missing by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Monday night.
Arissa Johnson, 12, and Nariah Johnson, 11, were last seen Monday at 18722 Southeast 93rd Place, according to the media release. The Department of Children and Families said it believes the children were picked up by their biological mother, Amanda Via.
Via, 38, is court-ordered to have no unsupervised contact with the children, according to police. She has a criminal record and spent almost eight months in jail in 2020 for a felony theft of a motor vehicle conviction, according to court records.
She also spent time in jail for two misdemeanor theft convictions in 2014. Via was put on probation for the motor vehicle theft conviction after she served time, but violated probation when she was arrested on a battery charge.
In September of 2022, Via had an argument with another woman at Via’s home where Nariah witnessed Via throw a bowl of cereal at the woman. The battery charge was later dropped, according to court records.
Arissa is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds, and Nariah is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds.
Anyone with information regarding their location should call 911.
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