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Police Launch Search for Mother Accused of Fleeing with Her Two Sons Following a Court-Ordered Visit with Their Father
The woman, identified as 34-year-old Nishika Samaratunga, has reportedly been missing with her sons, five-year-old Blaine Baier and three-year-old Nathaniel Baier, known as Nate, since March. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
According to reports, the two boys travelled from the United States to the UK in March to spend time with their mother as part of a court-ordered visitation arrangement following their parents’ divorce. However, Ms. Samaratunga allegedly did not return the children to their father, 43-year-old Mr. Baier, at a UK airport on March 29 as required by the court order.
As a result, Mr. Baier has initiated proceedings before the High Court in a bid to secure the return of his children.
His legal team has also expressed concern that Blaine and Nate may not be attending school or nursery and could be missing important medical care while their whereabouts remain unknown.
Speaking about the situation, Mr. Baier said:
“The collapse of my marriage has been an incredibly trying time, but I never believed that Nishika would abduct Blaine and Nathaniel and then conceal their whereabouts in an effort to keep them from me, uprooting them from their home in Colorado.
“Both our children have autism, and such abrupt changes to their routine are incredibly damaging to their development and health.
“I’m calling for her to do the right thing and return them to me so they can return to their life as normal, and for anyone who knows where they are to help return them to their home.
“I can only pray for their safe return.”
The High Court has granted permission for details of the case to be made public in the hope that the information will assist authorities in locating the children.
Court records show that Mr. Baier and Ms. Samaratunga married in 2020 after she relocated to the United States. Their relationship later broke down, leading to their divorce in 2024.
Following the separation, Ms. Samaratunga reportedly applied to a Colorado court for permission to permanently relocate the children to London in August last year. The request was denied, after which she returned to the UK.
She later made additional applications seeking permission to relocate the boys, but in October a Colorado court ruled that Mr. Baier would remain the children’s primary custodial parent. Although the court ordered that the children should continue living in Colorado, it also approved scheduled visits to England so they could spend time with their mother.
The first visit reportedly took place between December and January without incident. However, after the second visit in March, Ms. Samaratunga allegedly failed to return the children to their father at the airport as required by the court order.
Authorities continue to search for the mother and her two sons, while the legal process remains ongoing.
