A Carroll Plantation man who disappeared with his two young daughters on Sunday has been located at a relative’s home in Ohio, police said Thursday.
Public Safety Department spokesman Stephen McCausland said 44-year-old Peter Perfect and the girls were found overnight in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, which is east of Columbus. He said the 2-year-old and 6-year-old girls are safe.
Police had been looking for Perfect since he failed to drop his daughters off at his estranged wife’s home after church on Sunday. Perfect was served with divorce papers earlier this month.
Jodie Perfect had received a temporary custody order for her daughters on Monday after Peter Perfect did not return home with the two girls as previously arranged.
Jodie Perfect had told the media that she was concerned about the safety and welfare of her daughters because of past statements by her husband. But McCausland reiterated Thursday that police did not have any evidence that the girls were in any danger.
“There are no charges being filed against him at this point and I don’t think any are contemplated,” McCausland said.
Peter Perfect and his children were last seen at a Lincoln church on Sunday afternoon. State police issued a nationwide alert and asked the Transportation Security Administration to search airport parking lots for Perfect’s car.
Gary Boynton, a private investigator from Belfast who claimed he was hired by Jodie Perfect, said Thursday evening that he helped track down Perfect at his brother’s house in Ohio. Local social service agents took the two girls into custody early Thursday after serving Peter Perfect with the temporary custody order, Boynton said.
McCausland said he had heard Jodie Perfect had hired a private investigator but he did not know who it was or what role that person played in the investigation.
Boynton said Jodie Perfect and the two girls were staying in an Ohio hotel room Thursday awaiting a return flight to Maine early today. Boynton, who was also in Ohio, declined to allow a reporter to speak to Jodie Perfect, who he said was resting with her girls.
“They are well, things are good and we are headed back to Maine tomorrow morning,” Boynton said.
Peter Perfect or his relatives could not be reached for comment Thursday. There were no phone listings for a Perfect residence in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.