The multi-state search for a Wisconsin mom who vanished two weeks ago along with her three sons after she rented a van for a family trip intensified Tuesday as authorities work to learn how her rental van was returned 930 miles from her initial starting point.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Michalene Melges, 40, had called her sons’ school earlier this month and asked administrators that her sons be excused from May 10 through 13.
She rented a van on May 9 in Lake Bluff, Ill. What happened in between is a mystery, but the van was returned to a rental company in Plano, Texas. The workers there said they never saw the family.
The four were last seen leaving their home in Lake Geneva, outside Milwaukee. Their phones and her credit cards have not been used since the disappearance.
The sons were identified as Hans, 14, Kristian, 12, and Maverick, 10.
Melges is divorced and is reportedly in violation of child custody rules, authorities said. Authorities said foul play is not suspected. Police also said there is no evidence that she is keeping her children from her husband.