Michigan Amber Alert For 3 Missing Children Abducted By Their Armed Father

An Amber Alert was issued for three children who were abducted by their father from Sturgis, Southwest Michigan, in the wee hours of Thursday.

Police said the children were taken from their home by their father, 37-year-old Fernando Mendoza Cruz, who was believed to be armed with a handgun.

He reportedly made comments about harming himself and the children before leaving the home.

The alert was issued at 12:16 a.m. local time (1. 16 a.m. EDT) after a complaint that Cruz assaulted the children's mother. She managed to escape and went to a gas station to call the police. According to the alert, the four are believed to be in a 2009 maroon Chevy Traverse with the Michigan license plate number DWH9204.

The children have been identified as 5-year-old Chelsey Lopez, last seen wearing a pink t-shirt and blue pajama pants; 4-year-old Matteo Nieves, last seen wearing red shorts and a blue t-shirt; and 2-year-old Aldo Cruz wearing a blue t-shirt and a diaper.

Anybody with any information about the children or the man is requested to contact the Sturgis Police Department at 269-651-3231 or St. Joseph County, Michigan Central Dispatch at 269-467-4195.