Mother on the run in UK with sons, father claims

An American father has appealed to the public for help in finding his British ex-wife, who he alleges abducted their two sons in the UK earlier this year. Ben Baier has not seen his sons, five-year-old Blaine and three-year-old Nathaniel, since March. Nishika Samaratunga, a 34-year-old British citizen, is accused of concealing the children's whereabouts.

Mr Baier brought the boys to the UK in March for court-ordered contact with their mother, following the couple's separation. Ms Samaratunga failed to return the children to their father, leading Mr Baier to initiate legal proceedings in both the UK's High Court and a court in Colorado. The Colorado court has previously authorised American law enforcement to take custody of the children, citing a "credible risk that the children are in imminent danger". Late last month, the Colorado court further ordered that Ms Samaratunga be prevented from seeing the boys, stating she "presents an ongoing significant risk of harm" to them.

Concerns over children's welfare

Lawyers for Mr Baier have expressed concerns that the two boys, who have autism, may not be attending school or receiving necessary medical care. Mr Baier stated that the children have been "cut off from friends, family and the only home they’d ever known, without access to the necessary resources to support their health and development" for over five months. He urged anyone with information to come forward, stating, "My only concern at this point is ensuring that Blaine and Nathaniel are safe, children should not have to grow up on the run."

The couple married in 2020, and Ms Samaratunga moved to the US. Their relationship ended in 2024. Ms Samaratunga had previously applied to a Colorado court to relocate the children to London, a request that was refused. She then returned to the UK in September last year, leaving the boys in the care of their maternal grandmother in the US.

Court findings on home conditions

District Judge Michal Anne Lord-Blegen noted in a 29-page ruling that while caring for the boys before leaving the US, Ms Samaratunga allowed the family home to become "uninhabitable" and to "deteriorate to the point that it was unsafe and unsanitary for the children to reside". The judge added that the children were living in conditions that "bordered on injurious and neglectful", with Ms Samaratunga prioritising her desire to "punish, harm, and disparage (their) father" over the children's need for a secure, safe, and clean residence. The judge also stated that Ms Samaratunga made further relocation requests and falsely accused Mr Baier of child abuse and domestic violence as part of her "plotting against him".

In October, the Colorado court ordered Mr Baier to be the primary custodial parent, with the children to live in the state. However, Mr Baier was also ordered to take the children to England for visits. When Mr Baier attempted to take his sons back to the US after a second visit in March, Ms Samaratunga failed to return them, which the judge described as the realisation of Mr Baier's "worst fear" through a "premeditated and routinely threatened abduction of the children".

UK legal action

Following the alleged abduction, Mr Baier initiated High Court proceedings in the UK. Orders have been issued against companies including JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Thames Water and the NHS in an attempt to trace Ms Samaratunga, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. Amy Rowe, a partner at Hunters Law LLP, representing Mr Baier, stated, "It is vital for Blaine and Nathaniel’s welfare, both short- and long-term, that they are returned home safely. Please contact us confidentially if you have any information about their whereabouts."