Mom Allegedly Abducted Her 4 Children and Fled Overseas as She Feared ‘End Times’ Were Coming: Police

A Utah mother of four is facing criminal charges after authorities say she took her children out of the country because she believed the “end times” were approaching.

Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, has been charged with four counts of custodial interference and removing a child from the state after allegedly fleeing with her four children to Europe, according to ABC4 Utah.

Court documents reviewed by ABC4 say officers with the West Jordan Police Department went to Seymour’s residence for a welfare check on Dec. 2 and found the home unlocked and empty.

Investigators say they have not been able to reach Seymour, and she reportedly stopped responding to calls from a co-worker and a friend after Nov. 29 — the date authorities believe the alleged abduction occurred.

The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued an endangered and missing advisory on Dec. 10 for the children, who range in age from 3 to 11.

ABC4 previously identified the children as 11-year-old Landon Seymour, 8-year-old Levi Parker Seymour, 7-year-old Hazel Raye Seymour and 3-year-old Jacob Kurt Brady.

DPS said, per the outlet, it’s unclear what the children were wearing when last seen or where they were last seen. The advisory lists Seymour as the alleged abductor and describes her as a white female who is 5 feet 3 inches, 121 lbs., with hazel eyes and brown hair.

During the investigation, officials reportedly found a notebook in the home that included plans to dispose of documents and phones and to take passports, according to ABC4. Police also allege Seymour left a voicemail for one of the two fathers claiming she was in France with the children.

Authorities say Seymour shares custody with the fathers and allegedly told investigators she was searching for a permanent place to live and took the children because she feared “end times” were coming.

Officials determined neither father knew about Seymour’s plans. They also concluded she appeared to have no intention of returning to the United States and had violated a court-ordered custody agreement.

DPS said Seymour’s vehicle was found in a parking lot at Salt Lake City International Airport. Airport surveillance video later reviewed by ABC4 reportedly shows Seymour boarding an international flight with her four children on Nov. 29. The one-way itinerary included a stop in Amsterdam before arriving in Croatia.

Kendall Seymour, the father of three of the children, created a GoFundMe that has raised more than $12,000 so far. In the description, he wrote that his children “have been abducted overseas by their mother” and that he did not learn they were missing until Dec. 2.

He also said he was advised to retrieve the children “wherever they are found” to “minimize the trauma.”

“If we can be there to get them ASAP after mom is arrested, they will feel safer and will not suffer as much wondering what is going to happen to them, to their mom, and to their future,” he wrote, adding that the funds would be used for flights and possibly a hotel. He noted they “don’t know yet who will pick up the fourth child.”

He added that additional donations “will go toward therapy needed because of this traumatic experience.”

“My genuine hope is that the kids are found quickly, and we can pick them up while they still think they’re on a vacation,” he concluded.

Kendall told KSLTV that he said he was unaware of his ex’s beliefs until recently, when someone pointed him to videos on her social media.

“I didn’t know about any of these ideas of hers until a couple of weeks ago when someone found her TikTok account … She thinks Salt Lake is going to be destroyed and she is trying to get the kids to safety. My only hope is that she is motivated to protect them,” he said. “There were no signs of that when we were married or divorced in the last five years.”

ABC4 reported that the West Jordan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are working on the case.

The West Jordan Police Department and the Utah Department of Public Safety were contacted for information on Dec. 28, but did not provide immediate responses.