A woman who was the subject of an Amber Alert along with her three children Thursday said reports they had been abducted were "100% not true."
Word went out in the early afternoon that Tiffany Gentry was missing along with her 6-year-old Meadow, 5-year-old Autumn and 3-year-old Kole had been abducted by their father, Marshall Gentry, and could be in danger.
In a conversation with First Coast News, Tiffany Gentry said, “We are not under duress. It is not a dangerous, hostile situation. It’s just simply a new start.”
She said she and her husband had canceled plans to get a divorce and wanted to get a "fresh" start, in a new town, where they would seek marital counseling.
“Being in that town is not in the best interest of us talking and in the best interest of my children and myself,” she said.
Tiffany Gentry said she isn't sure who reported the children had been abducted in St. Marys, Georgia.
"I don’t really know why that was put out. I don’t really care why that was put out.”
The St. Mary's Police Department tells First Coast News that authorities on the Kings Bay Naval Base were the ones who expressed concern after Marshall Gentry didn't show up for work on the base.
Tiffany Gentry had initially believed that some people may have been upset that she had cut ties so thoroughly and thus reported them missing.
“I am moving out of town. I am relocating with my children and I guess people in this town do not like that. I changed my number, I took people off Facebook, I stopped all communication," she said.
As the law enforcement search for the family ramped up and media coverage increased, Tiffany Gentry started posting to a Facebook comment thread on the story, insisting she and her children were safe.
When asked why she had decided to post on social media, Tiffany Gentry said it was because she just wanted to "get it out" they were okay.
“They can all leave me alone and stop blowing up my phone and let me do what I need to do for myself and my children,” she said.
Around 5 p.m., authorities in Indiana reported the family had been found.
Tiffany Gentry said, prior to that, she had a video chat with authorities in Georgia, but they wanted her to speak with law enforcement in person. She said she pulled over in Sellersburg, Indiana, and called state police to meet her. She said she had dropped off her husband at a nearby McDonalds before pulling over, but then had police follow her to speak with her husband before the family got back on the road.
Tiffany Gentry also messaged First Coast News a video showing her three children in the backseat to show they were okay, but she did not disclose their exact location, nor where they were headed.
She said she was frustrated that the situation got to the point of an Amber Alert.
“My jaw hit the floor,” she said. “I don’t want people in town to know."
Multiple agencies tell First Coast News they will continue to investigate the case to determine if Tiffany Gentry and the children voluntarily left the Camden County area, despite her insistence that they did go willingly.
Camden County Sheriff's Office Capt. Larry Bruce said investigators aren't satisfied with the details yet. He said they are still communicating with other agencies in different states about the Gentry's whereabouts.
Additionally, since Marshall Gentry is considered "AWOL" by the Navy, NCIS is involved and actively investigating. It's agents have more questions to ask the Gentrys before they are cleared.
After speaking with Tiffany Gentry on the phone Thursday night, First Coast News asked to speak with Marshall Gentry for a comment, but the family declined.
