Police searching for couple accused of concealing the whereabouts of 2 children

Authorities have issued warrants in the search for a couple accused of defying a custody order and leaving the area with their two children.

Lauren Lea Hyson, 32, and Tony Ray Hodge, 31, are each charged with two felony counts of concealment of the whereabouts of a child, endangering the welfare of children, two counts of interference with custody of children and recklessly endangering another person. They are believed to be in the Philadelphia area.

After an investigator found the two children in unsuitable conditions in a Clearfield borough residence in June, Clearfield County Children and Youth Services was given legal and physical custody, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

When a representative of CYS spoke with the couple on the phone on June 14, they refused to provide their current address in Philadelphia.

Both parents failed to appear at a dependency hearing with the children on June 29. The court issued arrest warrants for Hyson and Hodge the next day.

The original incident occurred on June 7, when a CYS investigator entered the residence and saw Hyson was asleep on the couch. Both of the children appeared dirty and the residence was in disarray with soiled diapers on the kitchen table, according to the investigator. Hodge reportedly tested positive for alcohol, marijuana, benzodiazepines, methamphetamine and amphetamines.

The youngest child has serious health conditions and requires continued care. When she was born in July 2016, her cord tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamine, according to the report.

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Police searching for couple accused of concealing the whereabouts of 2 children."