A Utah woman obsessed with apocalyptic beliefs has been arrested after allegedly abducting her four young children and taking them to Europe, where the children were later found living in a state-run children’s home in Croatia.
Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, was taken into custody in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik in mid-January, nearly two months after she vanished with the children following Thanksgiving. Authorities say Seymour believed the “end times” were imminent and that America, particularly Utah, was about to be destroyed.
The missing children, Landon Hal Seymour (11), Levi Parker Seymour (8), Hazel Rae Seymour (7), and Jacob Kurt Brady (3), were located at a children’s centre similar to a foster home after an international search involving US law enforcement, Croatian authorities, and Interpol.
According to family members, Seymour flew one-way from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam on November 29 without informing the children’s fathers, later travelling through multiple European countries before settling temporarily in Croatia. She reportedly told the children the US was unsafe and that they had to flee before an apocalypse.
Family members say Seymour had shared increasingly extreme religious and doomsday-themed messages on social media, warning of zombies, national collapse, and widespread destruction. Court documents state she had no intention of returning the children to the United States.
The breakthrough came when a 13-year-old Croatian boy — whose mother had befriended Seymour online — discovered news articles about the missing children after Googling one of their names. After confronting Seymour, the boy’s mother reportedly took her to the police station, where Seymour was arrested. The boy has also been placed in the same children’s home.
The children’s father, Kendall Seymour, along with relatives, travelled to Croatia to regain custody but now face a complex legal battle involving international child abduction laws under the Hague Convention. The family says they must navigate language barriers, court-approved translations, and slow-moving legal processes before the children can return home.
The children are currently allowed limited daily visits with family members. Relatives describe conditions at the children’s centre as poor and emotionally distressing, particularly due to language barriers and lack of supervision for the youngest child.
Elleshia Seymour has been charged in Utah with four counts of custodial interference, a third-degree felony. No timeline has been announced for extradition or future court proceedings.
A GoFundMe has been launched to cover legal fees, travel expenses, and therapy for the children, as the family works to bring them back to the US.
