A father has made a fresh appeal for help finding his two young sons, who he says were allegedly abducted by their mother during a court-ordered visit to the UK.
Ben Baier is appealing to the public for information about the whereabouts of his former wife, Nishika Samaratunga, 34, a British citizen from a prominent Sri Lankan tea-producing family. He alleges that she has concealed the whereabouts of their sons, five-year-old Blaine Baier and three-year-old Nathaniel Baier, known as Nate.
The boys were born in the United States and had been living with their father near Denver, Colorado. In March, Baier brought them to the UK so they could spend time with their mother as part of court-ordered contact following the couple's separation.
However, he says Samaratunga failed to return the children at the end of the visit. Baier says he has not seen his sons since.
Legal proceedings are continuing in both the High Court in England and a court in Colorado as Baier seeks their return. The Colorado court has previously authorised US 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 also ordered that Samaratunga be prevented from seeing the boys, finding that she “presents an ongoing significant risk of harm” to them.
Baier's lawyers have also raised concerns about the children's welfare, saying the boys, who have autism, do not appear to be attending school or nursery and may not be receiving medical care.
The 43-year-old father has now urged anyone with information about his sons to come forward. “My only concern at this point is ensuring that Blaine and Nathaniel are safe – children should not have to grow up on the run,” he said.
“Anything the British public can do to help us locate the children will help them get the support that they need. For more than five months now they 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.
“Please, Nishika, bring the boys home.”
