Mother, kids missing from southern Minnesota found in Moorhead

Missing children
Izetta Cooley
Mower County Sheriff's Office

A woman who was court-ordered to not have contact with her children but took them Saturday from a southern Minnesota home where they were staying has been found with the children in Moorhead, Minn., and taken into custody.

Authorities had asked for the public's help finding Izetta Cooley after she'd taken the children without permission.

Officials said they were concerned about the welfare of the children. Cooley's husband, 44-year-old Miguel Cooley of Moorhead, Minn., is accused of fatally shooting a 20-year-old man outside a McDonald's restaurant in Fargo, N.D., on Sept. 23. Miguel Cooley was later arrested in southeastern Minnesota.

On Tuesday morning, authorities executing a search at a Moorhead home found Izetta Cooley and four of her children. One child, a 17-year-old boy, remains missing.

Moorhead police said Cooley, 39, was arrested for an outstanding felony kidnapping warrant out of Mower County and is in the Clay County Jail. The children are currently under the custody of Clay County, according to a Moorhead police statement.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.