WEST JORDAN, Utah — Four children who disappeared with their mother in November, after she posted a series of apocalyptic messages on social media, have been located in Croatia, according to family members.
Elleshia Seymour, 35, disappeared with her children — Landon Hal Seymour, 11; Levi Parker Seymour, 8; Hazel Rae Seymour, 7; and Jacob Kurt Brady, 3 — following an extended visit with them over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to West Jordan police. They were later seen on surveillance video at Salt Lake International Airport boarding a plane for Europe.
The children’s exact location remained a mystery for weeks, but an update made Sunday on the GoFundMe page dedicated to raising funds to find the children says they have been located in Croatia.
“The kids are trapped in Croatia in a state-run orphanage. We are in the country, trying to get the kids out of the custody of the local government,” the update reads.
Further details about how they were found or why they are in an orphanage were not immediately available. Elleshia Seymour’s location was not mentioned, either.
The GoFundMe page says family members are trying to raise more money to hire lawyers and translators to help them navigate the Croatian legal system and regain custody of the children from the government.
In early January, Kendall Seymour, father to three of the children, spoke with Nate Eaton on “Courtroom Insider” about the search. Seymour said he learned his children were missing in a phone call from their babysitter.
“She said, ‘Kenny, I think your kids are missing,’” he told Nate Eaton. “At first, I thought she was overreacting. But the more she talked, the more I realized this was serious.”
He said he contacted West Jordan police, family members, friends and coworkers. The children never showed up at daycare, and his ex-wife never returned to work.
Elleshia Seymour left two notes behind at her home, including a “delusional message from God” promising she’d be “in Italy by Christmas” and a to-do list that involved discarding her phone and buying a prepaid burner phone.
“When we were married, there was nothing like this,” Kendall Seymour said. “We both grew up LDS, but there were never any end-times beliefs or anything about Salt Lake being destroyed.”
An Endangered and Missing Advisory was issued for the children on Dec. 10, and Elleshia Seymour was eventually charged with four counts of felony custodial interference.
In addition to the West Jordan Police Department, the FBI is investigating the disappearance. On Sunday, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Salt Lake City said she was “not able to comment” on the case at this time.
West Jordan police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story will be updated as more information is available.
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