WOODLAND PARK, Colo. -- Authorities in Colorado said they have located three teens whose mother allegedly violated a court order in a custody battle when she took them from Florida in 1997.

Teller County, Colo., sheriff's Deputy Mikel Baker said the 15-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl were in protective custody after they were found at a Colorado Springs hotel following an investigation into a note left at a Woodland Park bank.

The three children have been on "missing" posters for 12 years. They were identified on the posters as Bjorn Baumgardner, 19; Kaitlyn Baumgardner, now 17; and Brett Baumgardner, now 15.

The three were expected to be reunited with their father, Denny Baumgardner, whose hometown in Florida wasn't available.

Authorities were alerted to the case on Feb. 13, when the Teller County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Academy Bank located inside the Wal-Mart store in Woodland Park, Colo.

Deputies said a 64-year-old woman, later identified as Carol Vercillo, had slipped a note to the bank teller wanting to report that she had been physically abused by her son, Jason Vercillo.

Jason Vercillo, 37, was arrested on suspicion of elderly abuse and false imprisonment.

Deputies investigated further and found that Jason Vercillo was married and living with Tonya Vercillo, 42. She is the mother of the three teens who had been listed as missing and endangered children by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Florida authorities say Tonya Vercillo and the children's father, Denny Baumgardner, had a shared custody agreement. They said she missed a hearing in the custody case and took the children out of state.

Deputies placed the two younger teens in protective custody until they can be reunited with their father. The third teen, 19-year-old Bjorn Baumgardner, was not taken into custody because he is an adult.

The children's mother, Tonya Vercillo, was arrested on suspicion of failure to appear in court. She and her husband were released on bond.