Updated

Dozens of people have gathered around a grieving mother to remember her two young daughters found dead last month, a day after authorities in North Carolina say their father drove off with them.

News outlets report people attended a vigil and released balloons Saturday for Candice Freeman's daughters.

The bodies of 4-day-old Genesis Freeman and 2-year-old Serenity Freeman were found March 25 inside an abandoned car on the side of the road. Authorities said they were stabbed to death.

Authorities arrested the girls' father, Tillman Freeman, and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.

Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin says Freeman accused his wife of cheating on him. She was in a hospital when the children were taken.

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This story corrects earlier version to show the children were found March 25, instead of last week.