Utah father rescues his four kids from Croatian orphanage after mom took them out of US over doomsday fears

Four children finally returned home to Utah after they were allegedly kidnapped by their mother, who feared an impending apocalypse. 

Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, sparked an international manhunt in December when her ex-husband, Kendall Seymour, realized she had taken Landon, 11, Levi, eight, Hazel, seven, and Jacob, three, to Europe to escape the ‘end times.’

The mom reportedly brought the youngsters to live with another woman, Lovie McVeigh, and her 13-year-old son, who later realized the family was the subject of an international manhunt. 

She was then arrested in Croatia, where she is now being held on suspicion of violating children’s rights. The four youngsters were temporarily left in legal limbo in an orphanage in the city of Dubrovnik.

They have since been released into Kendall’s custody, he shared in an update to an online fundraiser he had set up to help with his and his fiancée’s trip to Europe on January 29.

Finally, on Sunday, he shared that ‘WE ARE TAKING THE KIDS HOME!’

Kendall explained that Social Services in the country informed him and his fiancée, Heather, that they had concluded their investigation into the kidnapping, returned the youngsters’ passports and ‘gave us the go-ahead to pick up the kids from the children’s group home in the morning.’

That included Kendall’s children, the three eldest, and Jacob, Seymour’s child from another marriage, over whom Kendall received power of attorney.

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NATO state brings back military draft

Croatia’s parliament has voted to reinstate compulsory military service, ending a 17-year hiatus. The Balkan country abolished the draft in 2008, shifting to a fully professional army.

The move comes amid a broader trend among NATO and EU members of reviving conscription and boosting military budgets, citing current geopolitical tensions, particularly the Ukraine conflict.

Under the new law, around 4,000 recruits will be called up each year in five groups for two months of basic training at military facilities across Croatia, state broadcaster HRT reported on Friday. The program – estimated to cost €23.7 million annually – will begin in early 2026. Participants will receive around €1,100 per month, plus travel and leave expenses, and credited work experience.

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