by WorldTribune Staff, April 23, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
The Trump Administration said it has rescued a 10-year-old Utah boy who had been kidnapped by his trans father and his partner and taken to Cuba where the father planned to force the boy to undergo gender transition surgery.
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Rose Inessa-Ethington and his partner Blue Inessa-Ethington were arrested and accused of kidnapping Rose’s 10-year-old son. / Social Media[/caption]
According to court filings and a Department of Justice announcement, 42-year-old Rose Inessa-Ethington, the child’s biological father, who identifies as a transgender woman and previously went by Eri Ethington, along with partner Blue Inessa-Ethington, 32, took the 10-year-old boy (and reportedly Blue’s 3-year-old child) under false pretenses during what was supposed to be a family camping trip to Canada.
Instead, the pair allegedly fled to Mexico and then on to Havana, Cuba, with $10,000 in cash, raising immediate alarms that the boy was being transported for “gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty.”
According to court documents, on March 29, 2026, the group crossed the U.S. Canada Border and took a flight from Vancouver, Canada to Mexico City, Mexico. On April 1, 2026, the group took another flight from Merida, Mexico to Havana, Cuba. Mexican immigration authorities confirmed their arrival and departures utilizing their U.S. passports.
As alleged in court documents, interviews with the 10-year-old’s family provided significant concerns for the minor’s well-being, as the child was born male, however, identified as a female child, which family members largely believed to be due to manipulation by Rose. Concerns existed that the child was transported to Cuba for gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty.
On April 13, 2026, a Utah State Court ordered that 10-year-old to be returned to the child’s mother immediately and granted the mother exclusive custody of the child. On April 16, 2026, Cuban law enforcement located the group in Cuba.
The FBI flew to Cuba and rescued the boy, who has been returned to his mother.
The Justice Department said Rose and Blue “are in federal custody” and have been “charged in a federal criminal complaint of International Parental Kidnapping.” The DOJ said Cuban authorities assisted in locating and arresting the pair.
As local law enforcement in Utah, along with FBI officials such as FBI special agent Jennifer Waterfield, launched an investigation, evidence was reportedly found “of a planned operation following a search.”
A DOJ press release noted:
Local police in Utah and the FBI began investigating, with Ms. Waterfield, the special agent, detailing what the government said was evidence of a planned operation following a search of the their home: $10,000 in withdrawn cash and “to-do” lists detailing plans to empty bank accounts, learn Spanish, obtain tourist visas and put items in storage.
Investigators also said they found notes with instructions from a mental health therapist in Washington, D.C., related to “gender affirming medical care for children” and a request to send the therapist $10,000.
“Our priority in every parental kidnapping case is the safety and well-being of the child,” Robert Bohls, who serves as the Special Agent in Charge for the Salt Lake City FBI division, said. “This case reflects the strength of partnerships in locating victims, supporting reunification, and ensuring accountability.”
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