A Utah mom who kidnapped her four children and took them to Europe, believing the world was about to end, was arrested after the children were found abandoned at an orphanage. Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, was arrested in Croatia, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office confirmed on Monday, nearly two months after she disappeared with her children.
Her former husband, Kendall Seymour, has traveled to Europe to get back their children home. He said in an update on Sunday on his fundraiser that they are currently with another American child who was taken with them. "The kids are trapped in Croatia in a state-run orphanage," the concerned ex-husband said.
Back With Their Father
"We are in the country, trying to get the kids out of the custody of the local government," wrote Kendall, who is the father of three of the children. "We have to hire Croatian lawyers who specialize in child abduction, create and submit Hague Convention applications, hire court-approved translators, and extend our stay here by an unknown amount of time," Kendall said as he sought to raise $100,000.
"Who knows how much money is going to be needed for therapy for the five of us, after this is all over," he added.
The ex-husband also said that a fifth American child, who traveled to Europe with Elleshia, is now being kept at the same orphanage.
"There is also a fifth American child in this children's home. My children were traveling with him and his mother. The fifth child's situation is even more difficult than my own kids' status," Kendall said.
"We would like to help him as much as possible — his situation is going to need more legal help and strategy than ours," he said.
Strange Mom
The fifth child has not been publicly named, and it's unclear what connection he has to the Utah mother. Elleshia, who shared her doomsday beliefs on a private TikTok account, was arrested in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik on January 16, the DA's office said.
Before fleeing with her children, the mother reportedly wrote a chilling "to-do" list and boarded a flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam on November 29, leaving both of her ex-husbands unaware of her plans.
On December 10, the Utah Department of Public Safety issued an endangered and missing advisory for Landon Hal Seymour, 11, Levi Parker Seymour, 8, Hazel Rae Seymour, 7, and Jacob Kurt Brady, 3.
Last month, Elleshia was formally charged by the DA's office with four counts of "custodial interference – removing a child from the state," a third-degree felony.
At this time, no timeline has been announced for her upcoming court appearances or the possibility of her being extradited back to the U.S.
