Mother arrested as remains found of two daughters who vanished six years ago

She told authorities that the siblings had been living with a friend of hers who was home schooling them

File: Remains of two sisters were found in rural Pennsylvania over the weekend and the authorities are now investigating the case as a homicide. The mother of the two sisters was jailed without bail (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The remains of two sisters, missing for six years in rural Pennsylvania, were found over the weekend, according to the police.

Jasman and Nicole Snyder — who now would have been eight and 11 years old respectively — had been missing since 2015. Their mother, Mary Sue Snyder was arrested at her place of work in Clinton County on Friday, Penn Live reported.

Ms Snyder was jailed without bail on charges of endangering the welfare of children and obstruction in child abuse cases.

Authorities said the remains of the two sisters were found near a trailer where Ms Snyder was living with her 26-year-old girlfriend Echo Butler, and her seven-year-old son Jesse.

The trailer belonged to Ms Butler’s parents, Ronald and Michelle Butler, it was reported.

Ms Butler was jailed without bail and Jesse was placed in the custody of the county’s children and youth services.

Child services began an investigation into Jesse’s welfare on 7 September when they learnt that he was not toilet trained or enrolled in a school.

It was during this investigation that questions around Jasman and Nicole started popping up. Ms Butler’s mother Michelle Butler said she had not seen the girls for six years.

Ms Snyder told authorities that the sisters were living with a friend of hers who was home-schooling them.

Reports said that neither Ms Snyder nor Ms Butler could provide the name of the friend who was supposedly taking care of the two sisters.

Old Lycoming police chief Christopher Kriner told the media that the girls’ father Joshua Snyder had informed the children and youth services officials that he had not seen his children for six years because of custody and protection from abuse orders.

Mr Kriner said the father was not a suspect in the case.

The remains of the two girls — found on Saturday and Sunday on a Livermore Road property about four miles north of Williamsport — shall be sent to a forensic pathologist.

Authorities have confirmed that the case is being investigated as a homicide.