Missing children allegedly kidnapped by West Jordan mom found in Croatia
Jan 26, 2026, 3:37 PM | Updated: Jan 28, 2026, 1:57 pm
Undated picture of Elleshia Anne Seymour, believed to have fled with her four children to Europe, in violation of custody agreements with the children's fathers. Seymour has been charged with four counts of custodial interference. (Courtesy Kendall Seymour)
(Courtesy Kendall Seymour)
SALT LAKE CITY — Four West Jordan children who were allegedly kidnapped by their mother were found in a Croatian orphanage Sunday.
According to Kenny Seymour, the father of three of the children, his ex-wife, Elleshia Anne Seymour, flew the four of them out of the country on Nov. 30, allegedly bound for Amsterdam.
“We spent seven, eight weeks looking for her and the kids,” Seymour told KSL.
A former boyfriend of Elleshia Seymour’s reportedly told police in December that she “had recently discussed obtaining passports and leaving the country, expressing concerns about biblical events and the ‘end of times.'”
Kenny Seymour, who has been in Croatia for the past eight days, told KSL that he believed his ex-wife had met an American citizen living in Croatia and “wanted to leverage that connection to get somewhere remote.”
“It sounds like she met this other American citizen in Croatia under the pretense that she was bringing the kids here legally,” Kenny Seymour.
Video footage provided by police shows Elleshia Seymour and her four children entering the Salt Lake International Airport on Nov. 29 before allegedly boarding a flight to Amsterdam and later Croatia.
According to Kenny Seymour, once the American citizen living in Croatia heard the news about the children, the police were called and their mother was taken into custody by Croatian authorities.
Kenny Seymour was then contacted by Croatian police, who were holding the kids in a children’s home in the country.
Children remain in Croatia
According to him, Croatian police will not release his children until documentation from the U.S. has been checked and rechecked.
“It’s a beautiful place to be,” Kenny Seymour told KSL. “The scenery is gorgeous. But we’re stuck in mental hell at the same time, trying to figure out how we get these kids out of here and back to their home.”
He said he can only see the children once a day due to the children’s home’s strict visitation policy. “They’re already stretching [the rules on visitation] for us,” he said.
“They’re alright,” Kenny Seymour said. “They’re warm and they’re fed, but its frustrating seeing them basically feel like they’re in prison. They told me it feels like a jail.”
The FBI declined to comment on the situation.
Kenny Seymour had launched a GoFundMe* to help find the children, which has now been updated to request money for Croatian lawyers, court-approved translators and extend Seymour’s stay in Croatia while he works to bring the children back to Utah.
“Although we are very happy the original goal was met, this will be entirely consumed by just flights here and back,” wrote Kenny Seymour on a GoFundMe* update on Monday. “This part of Croatia is the most expensive place to fly to and stay, out of all possible locations we had on our radar.”
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
