Abducted girl, 10, back in Phila.; sister, mother still sought

Inquirer staff writer Peter Mucha reports:

One of two girls abducted by their mother is back in Philadelphia, under the protection of the Department of Human Services.

The mother and the younger sister are still being sought in Florida, where the three had been hiding in a sand pit dug underneath a playground.

Kelley Kongkham, 10, was found a week ago begging for food at a shopping mall.

She and her sister, Kimberly, 8, were heading to Juniata Park Academy school on Oct. 16, when they were taken by their mother, Tammy. The woman had lost custody of the children in the fall when they stopped attending school.

Kelley told her story to Fort Lauderdale police, who have been unable to find her sister and her mother.

Kelley is in DHS custody, said spokeswoman Alicia Taylor, declining to say whether Kelley was with a foster family.

"Physically, she's doing well," Taylor said. "... We're obviously worried about her, and we're making sure that she's getting all the help that she needs."

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