A missing 44-year-old South Carolina mother and her four young daughters were located in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday.

Authorities from Oconee County, in western South Carolina, had been looking for Laverne M. Bennett for nearly a week after she didn't return the girls to their father at the end of a regular weekend visitation.

Bennett and the girls were found at a rest area on Interstate 90.

"She's a great mother, and her kids love and adore her," said Kathy DeAngelis, Bennett's sister in Mechanicsville, Md. "I don't know what happened to trigger this."

She added, "For her to do that, something bad had to have happened."

Authorities said the girls, who range in age from 6 to 10, were fine.

Bennett has been charged with four counts of custodial interference. Deputies said extradition proceedings should begin in days.

DeAngelis, 46, said she doesn't believe her sister has a prior criminal record. She said they don't have family or friends in Idaho.

She has no idea where her sister was going.

She said Bennett had been working in home health care for the elderly in South Carolina.

The single mother also has two grown sons. Bennett and DeAngelis are among 12 siblings who grew up in Iowa.

Bennett did something similar last year, taking the girls to Iowa.

DeAngelis last talked with her sister around the Fourth of July.

"She was headed out the door to pick up her girls, and she didn't have a whole lot of time to talk," she said. "I hope something good comes out of this for the girls."