The flag of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. Image from Sota Iya Ye Yapi

The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota filed an Indian Child Welfare Act notice in a custody case in Omaha, Nebraska.

Three Indian children are in temporary foster care after a three-year-old girl was found alone on the street on a cold night last November. The mother is said to be a member of the tribe and reportedly fled to the reservation after abandoning the kids.

"She's on the reservation," Brenda MacConnell, who is the great-aunt of the children, told KMTV. "Where she thinks nobody can touch her."

The mother, 28, hasn't been charged because authorities can't locate her. The father, 28, was cited on suspicion of misdemeanor child neglect.

A hearing hasn't been scheduled on the tribe's ICWA notification, KMTV reported.

Get the Story:
Authorities say wandering tot's mom had multiple stories; tribe could take custody of kids (KMTV 1/29)
Siblings of girl, 3, found alone in cold to remain in foster care for now (The Omaha World-Herald 12/3)
Police identify father of 3-year-old girl who was found alone in the cold (The Omaha World-Herald 11/22)
Search continues for mother of girl found alone overnight (KMTV 11/21)