A South Carolina mother who was initially reported as missing has been arrested for allegedly abandoning her three children during a camping trip on an island and running away with her boyfriend, authorities say.

Courtney Taylor’s three kids, ages 12, 13 and 15, were discovered stranded on Cemetery Island on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina by a passing boater late Monday afternoon, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said, according to local NBC affiliate WYFF4.

The kids told deputies that they had been camping with their mom and her boyfriend, Eric Elrod, since Sunday.

On Monday morning, Taylor and Elrod took off under the guise of getting water but never returned, the children said.

The vehicle in which the family had traveled was gone from its parking spot on the island, according to cops.

The sheriff’s office launched a search for the missing couple and located Taylor in Pickens County on Tuesday. She was charged with three counts of child neglect.

Taylor was released from the Anderson County jail Wednesday after posting $15,000 bail.

Elrod remained at large as of Thursday. He is wanted on a charge of distributing methamphetamine.