DUBROVNIK, Croatia — Four Utah children who were taken out of the country last month by their mother and later found in a Croatian home are headed back to the U.S.
"WE ARE TAKING THE KIDS HOME," the family wrote in an update on GoFundMe.
The family shared that Croatian police had finished their investigation and police returned the children's passports.
"Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has helped us locate and fight for these kids," wrote the family. "In no way, shape, or form could we have done this without all of you and our amazing network of family and friends. We don't even know where we would be (or where the kids would be) without you all."
The saga began when the children's mother, Elleshia Anne Seymour, had dropped contact with friends and coworkers, which prompted them to ask police to conduct a welfare check on her and the children on December 2. When police arrived at their home, they found the door unlocked and nobody inside.
In addition, Seymour's ex-boyfriend told police that she had recently talked about getting passports and leaving the country, saying she was worried about "end of times" and biblical events.
Seymour's car was later found n a parking lot at the Salt Lake City International Airport, and video showed her and her four kids — ages 3 to 11 years old — boarding a one-way flight to Amsterdam and then Croatia on Nov. 29.
It was early January that the family was notified that the kids had been discovered at a children's home in the Balkans.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office was notified on Jan. 16 that Seymour had been arrested in Dubrovnik, where she was charged with custodial interference for taking the kids from West Jordan and out of the country.
Since Seymour's arrest, the children had been in Croatian state custody, where officials stated they needed to go through paperwork and to ensure the children were in the appropriate care.
In their update, the family shared that they want to work to improve the conditions at the children's home in Croatia where the children stayed, adding that they are purchasing a number of items based on what the children need.
"We hope to be able to find other ways to give back," the family said, "not only because they served our kids with love and care, but also to try to improve the lives of those children left behind."
