NEED TO KNOW
- Landon Seymour, 11, Levi Parker Seymour, 8, Hazel Raye Seymour, 7, and 3-year-old Jacob Kurt Brady were reported missing after the Thanksgiving holiday
- Kendall Seymour, who is the father of three of the children, shared last month that the four siblings had been located at an orphanage in Croatia
- In Utah, their mother, Elleshia Anne Seymour, is facing four counts of custodial interference and removing a child from the state
Four Utah siblings whose mother has been accused of kidnapping them are reportedly on their way back home after they were located at a Croatian orphanage.
Landon Seymour, 11, Levi Parker Seymour, 8, Hazel Raye Seymour, 7, and 3-year-old Jacob Kurt Brady disappeared after spending Thanksgiving with their mother, Elleshia Anne Seymour, in West Jordan, Utah.
Authorities promptly issued an arrest warrant for Elleshia on charges of custodial interference and removing a child from the state.
Kendall Seymour, who is the father of three of the children, set up a GoFundMe on Dec. 8, 2025, accusing Elleshia of leaving the country with her four kids.
In an update on Jan. 25, 2026, Kendall claimed he had found the children at the orphanage in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
The children were released into his custody, he said, per another update on Thursday, Jan. 29.
“We’re on the way home!” he wrote in the online fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 1.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the family has returned to the United States as of Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Several family members of Kendall were unavailable for comments when contacted by PEOPLE.
Elleshia has been arrested in Dubrovnik on criminal allegations involving violation of the rights of a child, several local outlets reported, citing Croatian authorities.
When asked about Elleshia’s arrest, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia previously confirmed to PEOPLE that a U.S. national had been arrested, without disclosing the name.
Foreign officials also confirmed they had four U.S. children in their custody, without disclosing the names, when inquired by PEOPLE about this specific case.
The Ministry added that they were following strict protocols as they navigated handing over the children to Kendall, who had been briefed about submitting appropriate documentation needed to retrieve the children.
GoFundMe; SLC International Airport via Storyful
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Elleshia had been spotted boarding a flight with the four children at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Nov. 29, 2025. She could also be seen with heavy luggage in surveillance video.
Authorities in Utah have not publicly declared a motive behind the alleged abductions. Kendall mentioned in his initial GoFundMe post that Elleshia had left behind a “to-do list” with directions to “shred paperwork, destroy identifying photos, throw away phone, purchase pre-paid phone,” among other tasks.
A former boyfriend previously told KSL Utah that Elleshia was scared of the “end of times” and had concerns of “biblical events.”
“I didn’t really know anything about her end-of-times beliefs until after this all happened,” Kendall later told the outlet. “It didn’t come up in our marriage or after our divorce.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
