Mother Abducts Sons, Vanishes.
British Mother Abducts US Sons, High Court Seeks Her Location After Months on the Run.
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A British mother has been hiding with her two young sons in the UK since March, refusing to return them to their American father after a court-ordered visit. Nishika Samaratunga, 34, originally from Sri Lanka, was supposed to hand back Blaine Baier and Nathaniel Baier at a UK airport on March 29 — but never did, according to Lancashire Telegraph.
The boys were born in the United States and lived with their father, Ben Baier, following their parents' divorce. They had traveled to the UK to see their mother as part of a court-approved contact arrangement. Months later, their location is still unknown, Perspective Media reports.
Boys Have No School, No Doctor, No Fixed Home
Lawyers for Ben Baier have raised serious concerns about the boys' welfare. The children are not enrolled in any school or nursery. They are also not receiving medical care, according to Hampshire Chronicle. Nobody outside Samaratunga's circle appears to know where the boys are sleeping or how they are being looked after day to day.
The father's legal team says the situation is urgent. Young children without schooling, doctors, or a stable address face real harm. The boys' ages have not been confirmed publicly, but reports indicate at least one is young enough to be in nursery.
High Court Orders Companies to Help Track Down Mother
The High Court in London has stepped in. Judges have ordered several companies to help trace Samaratunga's movements and location, according to East Anglian Daily Times. Courts can compel phone networks, banks, and other firms to share data in cases involving missing children.
Despite the court orders, Samaratunga and the boys remain missing. The case has been ongoing for months without a breakthrough. UK authorities have not publicly confirmed any arrests or sightings.
How a Court-Approved Visit Became an Abduction
The boys traveled to the UK in March to spend time with their mother. The visit was arranged through a court order — a legal plan meant to let both parents stay in their children's lives after a divorce. The handover was set for March 29 at a UK airport, according to Cotswold Journal.
Samaratunga did not show up for the handover. Ben Baier has not seen his sons since. Under international law, taking a child across borders and refusing to return them is considered abduction — even when a parent does it.
Father Fights Across an Ocean to Get His Sons Back
Ben Baier is fighting through UK courts from the United States to get his boys home. International child abduction cases are handled under the Hague Convention — a treaty that tells countries to return children who have been wrongfully removed. The UK is a signatory, according to Dereham Times.
But legal tools only work if authorities can find the parent hiding the children. Until Samaratunga is located, the court orders and treaties cannot be enforced. Anyone with information about her whereabouts has been urged to come forward, Perspective Media reported.
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