WARWICK, R.I. -- Charges have been dropped against a Houston woman who was accused of abducting her two daughters from Rhode Island back in 1985.
Elaine Yates was arrested in Houston earlier this month after a tip led Rhode Island State Police to Houston.
Yates was living in Houston under the alias Liana Waldberg. Her adult daughters also live in the area under different names.
Yates was taken back to Rhode Island where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of abduction of a child prior to a court order.
She was allowed to post bond and return to Houston.
On Wednesday, the state of Rhode Island dismissed the charges against Yates "in the interest of justice".
“I think they should leave her alone and let her live her life,” said Carol, Yates’ high school friend who did not want to use her last name. “She’s a sweet girl and deserves some peace and quiet.”
Carol and other supporters believe Yates fled 31 years ago to protect her then-10 month-old and 3-year-old daughters.
“He abused her. That’s the consensus of opinion,” Carol said.
There’s no criminal record or statement from police to support any belief that Yates was being abused by her husband Russell Yates, but he reportedly admitted to a local newspaper that he hit his wife about a month after she vanished with their daughters after, he said, she kicked him and slapped him.
The gray area surrounding the case caused a Rhode Island magistrate to ban cameras from Elaine Yates’ arraignment and he also made sure she wasn’t brought into the courtroom in handcuffs.
“He told me he thought it was not in the interest of justice,” said Craig Berke, Rhode Island Supreme Court spokesman. “This is a family that needs to heal, and he did not want to exasperate the situation with a host of cameras.”
Police gave the daughters their father’s contact information, but we are not being told if they have been in touch.
On Wednesday, Yates' attorney also said the case has now put Yates in danger.
Back in the 1980s, there were no laws in place against domestic violence in Rhode Island so Yates had no other choice but to leave the state, her attorney said.
We're told Yates is now afraid for her safety and the safety of her daughters.
"Ms. Waldberg's (Yates) case exemplifies why domestic violence laws were enacted in the 1980s. Prior to that time, battered, abused women had no options but to endure years of violence at the hands of their spouses or to flee. Ms. Waldberg was brave enough in 1985 to remove herself and her young daughters from unimaginable violence and abuse." said Attorney Bethany Macktaz and Attorney Lisa Holley.
The family is pleading with the Houston Police Department and other area law enforcement agencies to keep them safe. They are worried Yates' ex-husband will try to track them down.