An American couple accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old child for sex reassignment surgery in Cuba
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A United States couple is facing international kidnapping charges after prosecutors say they took a 10-year-old child to Cuba for sex-change surgery, allegedly tricking the child’s mother into visiting Canada.
On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice said Rose Inessa-Ethington, 42, and Blue Inessa-Ethington, 32, were arrested and charged after the Trump administration took the rare step of sending a government plane back to Havana, Cuba, on Monday.
“The two were accused of allegedly skipping a planned camping trip to Canada with the child they were looking after, and instead took the 10-year-old child to Havana, Cuba, without the birth mother’s knowledge or the court’s permission,” the statement read.
A series of court documents filed in US District Court detail what prosecutors say was an international kidnapping plot involving “extensive” planning and thousands of dollars in cash.
The group crossed into BC on foot, the documents said
Documents show that Rose Inessa-Ethington, one of the child’s biological parents, was supposed to go camping in Calgary, Alta., on March 28 with Blue, a 10-year-old and a three-year-old. But the documents say the women never arrived at the Days Inn hotel or the Tunnel Mountain Village campground in Calgary, and turned off their cell phones.
Rose shares custody of the child with her birth mother, named LB The Department of Justice said LB contacted the police when the couple did not return as scheduled on April 3.
LB claimed that Rose, who was married to him, violated the terms of their child custody agreement.
Investigators determined that Rose, Blue and the children did not travel to Alberta, according to court documents. Prosecutors say the group instead entered British Columbia from Washington State through the Peace Arch border on March 29.
The group flew from Vancouver International Airport to Mexico City that afternoon before proceeding to Cuba with their American passports two days later, the forms said.
In an affidavit filed last week, FBI special agent Jennifer Waterfield said investigators searching the couple’s Utah home found a “to-do” list detailing plans to liquidate bank accounts, learn Spanish, put their belongings in storage and secure visitor visas. He said investigators also found notes with instructions from a mental health therapist in Washington, DC, related to “gender-affirming health care for children” and a request to send the therapist $10,000 US ($13,650 CAD).
The affidavit states that Rose Inessa-Ethington quit her job before leaving town and Blue Inessa-Ethington booked time off, but did not contact her employer after they left. The affidavit also said Blue withdrew US$10,000 from his checking account in the days leading up to the trip.
In his affidavit, Waterfield said “there are concerns about that [the child] she was moved to Cuba for sex reassignment surgery before puberty.”
A Utah district court judge granted LB sole custody and ordered the child to return to her immediate care on April 13, according to the justice department. Cuban law enforcement found the group last Thursday and a US government plane picked up the child on Monday.
The unusual use of government aircraft comes as the Trump administration continues block access to gender confirmation care for children across the US and threaten health care providers who do that care. Gender confirmation surgery is rare among American childrenresearch has shown.
The Inessa-Ethingtons made their first appearance in a district court in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday after being extradited to the US.
The prosecution will continue in Utah, where the couple lives. The child has been returned to LB, the statement said.
