A boy who was allegedly kidnapped by his foster mum and spirited away to Vietnam has been returned to home.
The five-year-old, who has been identified only as ND, was reported missing from Mount Vernon, Washington, US, by Child Protective Services on November 28.
Amanda Dinges was named as suspect by investigators as she had been looking after the boy when they both disappeared.
Investigators later found out the 35-year-old had disconnected her phones before leaving her home.
They determined that the boy's disappearance was an "intentional, pre-planned event" and issued an arrest warrant.
Dinges had fled the country and a further arrest warrant was issued for her mum Amber Dinges.
Police say they believe the 60-year-old was complicit in the alleged kidnapping.
Arrest warrants were issued for 'Kidnapping 2nd Degree' for both individuals.
Family members were interviewed and 25 search warrants were carried out by investigators.
It was figured out that the mum, daughter and boy three had fled to Thai Binh, Vietnam, a city 70 miles southeast of Hanoi, with a population of 210,000 and 7,000 miles away from Mount Vernon.
On December 14, the boy was secured by Diplomatic Security Service personnel at the United States Consulate in Hanoi.
Amber and Amanda were not arrested and remain at large in Vietnam.
FBI agents flew out to meet ND and he was flown back to Washington and reunited with his biological mum.
According to a police statement: "International recognition of warrants and extradition is a complicated process.
"Investigators will continue their efforts until such time that Amanda Dinges and Amber Dinges appear in court on the kidnapping charges in Skagit County, Washington."
It continued: "For a 5-year-old boy, “ND” has had a very complex journey. We hope his recovery and return to Washington will be a stabilizing factor for him moving forward.
"We ask that the family’s privacy be respected."
City of Mount Vernon also praised other organisations working on the case.
The statement read: "This investigation had many components, touching multiple jurisdictions. Success would not have been possible without the assistance from many different agencies.
"We cannot thank our federal partners from the FBI Seattle, HSI and DSS enough for their great work navigating the logistics of an international investigation and recovery.
"We would also like to thank the Hanoi embassy staff, Port of Seattle Police, and the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security for their assistance."
