WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Oct. 10, 2022.
The search for two missing Waynesboro girls has reached the three year mark.
Skye Rex, 5, and Hanna Lee, 7, disappeared from a Waynesboro, Franklin County apartment on March 17, 2020—just a few days after a Maryland judge granted John Rex, their father, immediate custody of them.
The judge's decision followed a three-year-long custody battle between him and the girls’ mother, Lashada Lee.
When Rex heard the news, he started heading north to Hagerstown, Maryland, where the pair usually met for custody transfers.
“I kept texting her. Tried calling. No answers, no responses on the texts," said Rex. "It was complete silence.”
So he drove to Waynesboro, where Lashada Lee was living with the children.
“Her vehicle was gone," said Rex. "There was a camera set up in her front window, so she was monitoring anybody who came and went, but my daughters were gone.”
Court records show Lashada Lee was charged in June of 2020 for custodial interference.
A warrant is out for her arrest.
Waynesboro Police Department Chief James Sourbier issued a warning on Friday to anyone aiding or abetting Lee, saying they could face charges as well:
Corporal Donald Rowe of the Waynesboro Police Department is one of the officers who has been investigating the case for three years.
Like Rex, Corporal Rowe believes Lashada Lee knew what she was doing when she allegedly kidnapped her own daughters.
“Normally someone leaves something for us to be able to find them," he explained. "Like I said, this seems like it was planned. I believe she’s also getting help.”
Rex believes that help could be coming from Lee’s family in the D.C. metro region.
That’s where both he and investigators continue to target as the girls’ possible location.
“If the kidnapper was truly missing, then why isn’t her family doing more to find her," said Rex.
That's one of the many questions he keeps asking as his daughters remain missing.
"I don’t know who they’re around," he continued. "I don’t know if they’re in a safe environment. I don’t know if my kids are healthy. There’s no indication they’ve been in school going on now the third school year.”
Authorities say there’s no evidence to show the girls are, or have ever been, in physical danger.
"That may be part of the reason people aren’t coming forward, because they’re with mom," said Corporal Rowe. "They think, ‘Well they’re with a parent.’”
For police in Waynesboro, piecing John’s life back together is the ultimate goal.
“We’re not going to just stop and not keep investigating this until the girls are home with him," said Corporal Rowe.
Rex has put up a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the recovery of his daughters.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call 911, the Waynesboro Police Department at 717-762-2131 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Authorities continue to stress no tip is too small.