2 abducted kids safe, father reported dead

TAYLORSVILLE, N.C., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Two children of a slain North Carolina woman were found safe Friday after being abducted by their father, who reportedly killed himself, police said.

Haley and Hayes Heatwole, 10 and 6, respectively, were found in a house in Taylorsville, N.C., with their father, a suspect in a triple homicide that included his ex-wife, who was the children's mother, 60 miles away in Asheville, N.C., CNN said. The bodies were found on New Year's Day.

Several reports said 45-year-old Richard Heatwole committed suicide after a two-hour standoff with police Friday, WFTS-TV in Tampa said. He reportedly had been holding his children hostage.

Heatwole was on probation in Pinellas County for several drug possession charges, police said.