Father Of 2 Missing Lakeville Girls ‘Ecstatic’ They’re Found

LAKEVILLE (AP) — The father of two Minnesota girls found safe after being missing for more than two years says the family is "ecstatic" the teenagers are back home.

Gianna and Samantha Rucki of Lakeville, now 16 and 17 years old respectively, hadn't been seen in public since April 2013 after disappearing in a custody dispute. Police with a search warrant found the girls at a horse farm in western Minnesota on Wednesday.

The girls' father, David Rucki, thanked authorities for finding the girls. In a statement Friday, he calls it "a very emotional time for all involved" and asks for privacy for the family.

The girls' mother, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, was arrested last month in Florida but had declined to provide information on their whereabouts to investigators. She remains in jail.