UTAH CHILDREN FOUND IN CROATIA; MOTHER ARRESTED IN INTERNATIONAL ABDUCTION CASE

DUBROVNIK, Croatia — Four Utah children who disappeared last fall with their mother were found at a state-run orphanage in Croatia and the woman has been arrested, authorities and family members said Tuesday.

Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, of West Jordan, Utah, was taken into custody in Dubrovnik on Jan. 16 in connection with an inteational child abduction case, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. She faces charges in Utah of custodial interference and unlawfully removing children from the state. 

Seymour’s four children — 11-year-old Landon Hal Seymour, 8-year-old Levi Parker Seymour, 7-year-old Hazel Raye Seymour and 3-year-old Jacob Kurt Brady — were located Sunday at a govement-run children’s facility in Croatia, according to statements from family members. 

The children disappeared after a Thanksgiving visit with their mother, and surveillance footage showed them boarding a flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam on Nov. 29. Utah authorities issued an endangered missing advisory in early December when Seymour did not retu the children and left behind her home unoccupied. 

Family members said Seymour posted social media messages and notes expressing apocalyptic fears before departing, prompting conce from relatives. 

Seymour’s ex-husband, Kendall Seymour, told local outlets he traveled to Croatia to work through legal channels to secure custody and retu the children to the United States. The family has retained Croatian attoeys and is coordinating with U.S. officials through procedures under the Hague Convention on inteational child abduction. 

Croatian officials have indicated that the children will remain under protective care until all required legal reviews are completed, including verification of documentation from U.S. authorities.