- Four West Jordan children allegedly kidnapped by their mother were found in Croatia.
- Elleshia Anne Seymour reportedly flew the children to Amsterdam then Croatia, Nov. 30, 2025.
- Kenny Seymour is seeking funds to bring the children back to Utah from Croatia.
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, 35, 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.'"
Video footage provided by police showed Elleshia Seymour and her four children entering the Salt Lake City International Airport on Nov. 29 before allegedly boarding a flight to Amsterdam and later Croatia.
In mid-December, Utah prosecutors charged Elleshia Seymour with four counts of third-degree felony custodial interference. Local officials told KSL on Monday the case was being passed on to Croatian police.
Kenny Seymour, who has been in Croatia for the past eight days, told KSL 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 said.
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. He said he only received second-hand information about why his ex-wife was being detained, but he believed it was ultimately related to the charges filed in Utah and the warrant for her arrest.
"You have to remind yourself this is our reality," Seymour said during an interview with KSL. "This isn't some Netflix documentary you watched. It happened to us."
Children remain in Croatia
According to Kenny Seymour, 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."
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 to 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."
An attempt on Monday afternoon to reach police in Dubrovnik had not yet resulted in a response.
The FBI declined to comment about the situation Monday and referred KSL to Croatian authorities.
Kenny Seymour said the children were "warm" and were "fed," but told him during his daily visits that their facility feels like a jail. 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.
Seymour said he initially thought bringing the children back to America would be wrapped up in a two- or three-day visit, and now, after eight days, he doesn't know how long it will take.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into 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 advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
