Mindy McCready and Son Discovered in Arkansas

Posted Dec 3rd 2011 8:15AM by Kenneth Partridge
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Angela Weiss, Getty Images

The search for embattled country singer Mindy McCready and her 5-year-old son, Zander, came to an end late Friday night (Dec. 2), as authorities entered a home in Heber Springs, Ark., and found the pair hiding in a closet.

"The child appeared to be in good condition when we found him ... he was in the closet with his mother," said David Rahbany, the chief deputy U.S. Marshall in eastern Arkansas, according to CNN.com.

The discovery -- made at a home thought to belong to Mindy's boyfriend -- caps a search that began on Thursday evening, when the 'Ten Thousand Angels' singer missed a deadline to return Zander to his grandmother, who has had legal custody since 2007. The singer's no-show prompted a judge in Lee County, Fla., to issue an emergency pickup order.

Mindy, who has a long history of drug and alcohol problems, took the boy from Florida earlier this week, claiming that her mother and stepfather, Gayle and Michael Inge, were abusing the child. The Inges denied those claims.

"I'm real excited that he's safe," Gayle told the Associated Press. "But I can't explain what this is like. We feel for Mindy and we feel for Zander."

The Florida Department of Children and Families is reportedly working to return Zander to the Inges, and it's unclear at this time whether Mindy -- who's pregnant with twins -- will face criminal charges.

According to Gayle, Mindy sent a text message to her half-brother indicating that her mother would "never see her again."

"I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that I love her," Gayle said.

Watch Mindy McCready's 'Ten Thousand Angels' Video