PERU, Ind. -- A 12-year-old Miami County girl accused of setting fire to her sleeping mother's bed and leaving with her younger siblings in the family car told police she was tired of doing so many chores, authorities said Tuesday.

"Apparently the mom had given her a lot of duties," Miami County Sheriff Ken Roland said. "It was too much for a 12-year-old and she snapped."

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The mother called 911 at about 5 a.m. Monday to say that she woke up to see her bed burning. She extinguished the fire and noticed her car and her three children -- ages 12, 8 and 6 -- were missing from their southern Miami County home, state police said.

When a Miami County sheriff's sergeant called the mom's cell phone, the 12-year-old answered and said she and her siblings had been abducted, police said. The girl said she was being forced to drive south on U.S. 31 while their abductor followed in another vehicle, according to police.

The officer persuaded the girl to stop at a location in Howard County, where sheriff's deputies found the children unharmed, police said.

Investigators determined that the children were not abducted, that the 12-year-old had set her mother's bed on fire as the woman slept on it, and that the girl stole her mother's car and persuaded her siblings to leave with her, according to police.

The girl, whose name was not released, will be charged as a juvenile with arson and attempted murder, Miami County Prosecutor Eric Huneryager said. The decision to file juvenile charges was based on the girl's age and the fact that she has no criminal history, he said. Her first court appearance was set for Wednesday.

"The intent of the juvenile system is rehabilitation, treatment and counseling," Huneryager said. "They will provide services to determine why she acted out the way she did and to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Though Roland said the girl was weary from chores, Huneryager told reporters Tuesday that he was uncertain about any conflicts between her and the mother.

"I would describe it as normal interaction between parent and children. There was nothing in the last 24 hours extraordinary," Huneryager said.

The younger children were returned to the care of the mother, Roland said. The fire in the bed was not serious and the mother was not hurt, he said.