The search for one-year-old Jayce Teel and four-year-old Jeremiah Teel started at an apartment complex off West Gulf Bank near Antoine, but authorities now say the two boys were not there.
"Please, please bring my children back, that's all. My baby's sick, he's supposed to go to the doctor and he doesn't have his necessities. I just need to know that they're safe," pleaded the children's mother, 23-year-old Jasmine Porter.
Porter tells Eyewitness News the boys' father showed up unannounced around 1pm today. She says after an argument over taking the children, he pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, fired at her, then took the boys.
"He proceeded to shoot twice and they left," Porter said.
The father, who's been identified as 26-year-old Jeremy Teel, was taken into custody after he was found hiding in the bathroom of a gas station near the apartment complex from which he allegedly took the boys. He's been charged with aggravated assault.
Authorities say Jeremy Teel is refusing to reveal the location of the boys but they believe the children are with the father's girlfriend, Jasmine Scott.
"We're trying to locate Jasmine Scott at this point. We believe she may have the kids. At this point, we really don't know where the children are," said Harris County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Robert Spurgeon.
Authorities say Scott already has two children and is pregnant with a third.
Authorities say Jeremy Teel has a criminal history that includes burglary of habitation and weapons possession, and described the children as "endangered."
Jayce and Jeremiah have been described as African-American boys with black hair and brown eyes. Porter says Jayce has a scar from a tube on his abdomen. Jeremiah is due to celebrate his fifth birthday on Friday.
Anyone with information about the children's whereabouts is urged to immediately call the Harris County Sheriff's Office at 713-221-6000.
Stay with Eyewitness News for the latest details.
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