#Mother Arrested After Her Long Missing Daughters Are Discovered Buried In Her Backyard

A mother in Pennsylvania, her live-in girlfriend, and another relative have all been arrested after police discovered the bodies of the mother’s two young daughter buried in their backyard.

The girls, identified by police in Lycoming County as 6-year-old Nicole Snyder and 4-year-old Jasmine Snyder, had been missing for six years before their bodies were discovered late last week. Officials now say that the two young girls had been missing and unaccounted for since 2016.

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The girls’ mother, 32-year-old Marie Snyder (above, left), and her partner Echo Butler (above, center), 26, were arrested and booked on charges of child endangerment and obstruction. Butler’s mother, 48-year-old Michele Butler (above, right), was also booked into the Lycoming County Jail on similar charges.

Charges haven’t yet been filed specifically in relation to Nicole and Jasmine’s deaths, but police have opened a homicide investigation and are trying to determine cause of death now. On Monday, the girls’ bodies were transferred to a forensic anthropologist in the city of Erie for further determination.

Speaking to the media about the horrible discovery, Old Lycoming Township Police Chief Chris Kriner said (below):

“Both District Attorney [Ryan] Gardner and I agree that this situation is a travesty of colossal proportions, and this investigation will not conclude until all evidence is gathered and analyzed, interviews are conducted and justice on behalf of the two deceased innocent girls is achieved.”

The whole situation began back in September, after Children and Youth Services received reports of concerns about “educational issues” involving a 7-year-old boy in Butler and Snyder’s care. According to Kriner, the 7-year-old son was “not attending school” and was “not toiled trained,” prompting officials to visit the family’s home.

From there, they learned that Snyder had two other children “who were unaccounted for,” and CYS and police investigators began looking deeper into the situation. The father of the girls, Joshua Snyder, reported to police that he last saw the two daughters in 2015 — the same year as their last known contact with medical, court, or other personnel.

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At first, Snyder and Butler allegedly told cops that the girls were being “homeschooled” and stayed with a friend, but declined to name that person.

Marie was arrested on November 4 and denied all knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing girls. Butler was arrested after that, and eventually admitted that she “knew the truth regarding their circumstances,” prompting a police search of her home throughout the week. Several days into the search, the girls’ bodies were found in 2-foot-deep graves on the property.

Now, local and state police and the FBI continue to investigate the case jointly.

All three women were ordered held without bail following their arrests; they are due in court next on November 17 for a preliminary hearing.

[Image via Old Lycoming Township Police Department]