The dramatic story of four young siblings from Utah—Landon Seymour, 11; Levi Parker Seymour, 8; Hazel Raye Seymour, 7; and little Jacob Kurt Brady, just 3 years old—who vanished after a seemingly ordinary Thanksgiving visit with their mother has gripped the public imagination. What began as a routine holiday custody arrangement spiraled into an international parental abduction fueled by apocalyptic fears, a desperate transatlantic flight, and an unexpected ending in a remote Croatian orphanage. Their mother, Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, now sits in investigative detention in Dubrovnik, Croatia, while the children remain “trapped” in state care, caught in a web of legal bureaucracy, international treaties, and family anguish.

This case is more than a missing-persons alert; it’s a chilling tale of how deeply held beliefs can fracture families across continents, leaving innocent children in limbo between a mother’s delusions and a father’s frantic efforts to bring them home. As the world learned of their discovery in late January 2026, questions swirled: What drove a mother to uproot her children so dramatically? How did authorities finally track them down? And what lies ahead for these siblings, now separated from both parents in a foreign land?

The Vanishing After Thanksgiving

The saga unfolded in West Jordan, Utah, a quiet suburb south of Salt Lake City known for its family-oriented communities and proximity to the Wasatch Mountains. Elleshia Anne Seymour shared custody of her children with their fathers under standard arrangements. Kendall Seymour, father to Landon, Levi, and Hazel, had maintained an amicable post-divorce relationship with Elleshia. The fourth child, Jacob, had a different father. Nothing in their marriage or divorce hinted at the storm to come.

Thanksgiving 2025 passed normally. The children spent the holiday with their mother, as per the schedule. But when they failed to return, alarm bells rang. On November 29, 2025, surveillance footage from Salt Lake City International Airport captured a haunting image: Elleshia, accompanied by her four young children, boarding a one-way flight to Amsterdam. From there, they reportedly continued to Croatia. No return tickets. No notification to the fathers. Just a sudden, irreversible departure.

Back in Utah, Elleshia’s home stood eerily silent. A welfare check by West Jordan Police on December 2, 2025, found the residence unlocked and unoccupied. Inside, investigators discovered a chilling note and a to-do list that painted a picture of premeditated flight driven by paranoia. The note reportedly contained a “delusional message from God” promising Elleshia she would reach Italy by Christmas. The list included instructions like “shred paperwork,” “destroy identifying photos,” “throw away phone,” and “purchase pre-paid phone.” These steps suggested a calculated effort to erase traces and evade detection.

Authorities quickly escalated the case. An Endangered Missing Advisory was issued on December 10, 2025, by the Utah Department of Public Safety. Elleshia faced four counts of custodial interference and removing a child from the state. The West Jordan Police Department handed the investigation to the FBI, recognizing its international scope. A warrant for her arrest was issued on December 17, 2025.

A Mother’s Apocalyptic Fears

What propelled Elleshia to such extremes? Sources close to the family revealed her growing obsession with “end times” prophecies and biblical events. Kendall Seymour told KSL Utah that these beliefs “didn’t come up in our marriage or after our divorce.” A former boyfriend echoed this, noting he only learned of her apocalyptic convictions after the abduction.

Elleshia’s actions align with a pattern seen in rare but devastating cases where religious or conspiratorial fears drive parents to “protect” their children by removing them from perceived threats. In her mind, the world was on the brink of catastrophe—perhaps divine judgment or societal collapse—and fleeing to Europe was the only way to safeguard her family. Yet this “protection” came at a terrible cost: uprooting young children from their homes, schools, and fathers, thrusting them into an unfamiliar continent without support networks.

The journey itself must have been bewildering for the children. From the familiar streets of Utah to the airports of Amsterdam and then Croatia—a country of stunning Adriatic coastlines but foreign languages, customs, and landscapes. At some point, Elleshia allegedly attempted to reach a more remote location. An American citizen living in Croatia reportedly contacted authorities after hearing about the case and encountering Elleshia, prompting police intervention.

Discovery in the Orphanage

On January 25, 2026, a glimmer of hope emerged. Kendall Seymour updated a GoFundMe campaign he had launched to fund the search: the children had been found in a state-run orphanage in Croatia. The relief was palpable, yet tempered by new horrors. The siblings were described as “trapped” in the facility—warm, fed, but feeling imprisoned in an institutional environment far from home.

The orphanage, whose exact location remains undisclosed, became an unintended sanctuary after Elleshia’s arrest. Croatian authorities took Elleshia into custody in Dubrovnik on January 26, 2026—roughly 400 miles from Zagreb—on charges of violating child rights. She entered investigative detention (pritvoru), a pre-trial holding status.

The Croatian Institute for Social Work emphasized caution due to the case’s international nature. They insisted on a thorough review by U.S. authorities before releasing the children to their father, invoking protocols likely tied to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. This treaty, designed to prevent parental kidnappings, requires cooperation between signatory nations (including the U.S. and Croatia) to swiftly return children to their habitual residence.

Kendall, father to three of the four, traveled to Croatia with family members around January 18, 2026. His GoFundMe shifted focus from search costs to legal battles: hiring Croatian lawyers specializing in child abduction, submitting Hague Convention applications, engaging court-approved translators, and extending their stay indefinitely. The process, he noted, could drag on amid bureaucratic hurdles.

The youngest, Jacob, faces even greater uncertainty, as his father is not part of the primary efforts described. The children reportedly told their father the orphanage feels like a “prison,” despite basic care.

Legal Crossroads and Family Anguish

Elleshia now confronts dual legal fronts. In Utah, she faces four felony counts of custodial interference. In Croatia, child rights violation charges could lead to further proceedings. The FBI and West Jordan Police have declined comment, citing the ongoing nature. The U.S. Department of State acknowledged awareness but cited privacy concerns.

For Kendall, the emotional toll is immense. His updates mix hope with desperation: joy at locating the children, frustration at delays. The GoFundMe has become a lifeline, funding not just travel but the complex machinery of international family law.

This case highlights vulnerabilities in cross-border custody. Parental abductions often exploit gaps between jurisdictions, turning children into pawns. The Hague Convention exists to address this, but implementation varies—delays for assessments, cultural differences, and resource strains can prolong separations.

The children’s ordeal evokes universal fears: a mother’s love twisted by delusion, fathers powerless across oceans, siblings clinging to each other in an alien institution. Their ages—spanning toddler to pre-teen—mean the trauma will linger. Therapy, stability, and reunification are paramount.

As of late January 2026, the siblings remain in Croatia, their futures hanging on legal reviews and diplomatic cooperation. Elleshia’s arrest closed one chapter but opened another: accountability for her actions, and healing for her children.

This story captivates because it pierces the ordinary—a suburban Thanksgiving morphing into an international crisis. It reminds us how fragile family bonds can be when ideology overrides reason. For Landon, Levi, Hazel, and Jacob, the hope is simple: a swift return to Utah, to their father, to normalcy. Until then, a nation watches, prays, and waits for resolution in this heart-wrenching transatlantic drama.