British woman abducts her two sons and goes on run as ex-husband makes plea

A British mother accused of abducting her two sons from their American father has been on the run for over three months.

Five-year-old Blaine Baier and three-year-old Nathaniel Baier have been missing since March after visiting their mum Nishika Samaratunga in the UK.

The 34-year-old British citizen, originally from Sri Lanka, is believed to be concealing the whereabouts of her US-born children who were supposed to be at the airport on 29 March.

Prior to that, they were being cared for by their father, Ben Baier, who lives near Denver, Colorado.

The children visited Ms Samaratunga earlier this year as part of court-ordered contact following their parents’ divorce.

Ms Samaratunga moved to the US after the pair got married in 2020, but their relationship eventually broke down in 2024.

US father-of-two Ben Baier has accused his British ex-wife Nishika Samaratunga of abducting his sons (PA/Handout)

Mr Baier, 43, has been granted a High Court order that allowed the publication of details of the case to help locate the children.

“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,” he said.

Nishika Samaratunga is believed to have been on the run since March (Handout)

“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.”

A judge in Colorado said there is a ‘credible risk that the children are in imminent danger’, and accused Ms Samaratunga of ‘engaging in activities indicating a planned abduction’ and had ‘unilaterally prevented the children’s court-ordered return’.

Mr Baier said both of his children are autistic (Handout)

Amy Rowe, partner at Hunters Law LLP, representing Mr Baier, said: “The court has rightly recognised the deeply harmful impact of abduction on Blaine and Nathaniel.

“These are two very young, vulnerable children and every day that they remain missing increases the concern for their welfare.

“It is imperative that they are found and returned home safely as soon as possible.”

The High Court in London has since issued orders against several companies to trace Ms Samaratunga, including JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Thames Water and the NHS, but no information has become available as to her whereabouts at the time of writing.