Missing 2-year-old Seraya Aung Harmon found in Mexico, father charged

SANTA ANA, Mexico (Court TV) — Two adults believed to have abducted a toddler from Washington have been taken into custody after an international manhunt ended with the child found safely.

Police found Seraya Aung Harmon with Nadia Cole and Aaron Aung. (Pullman Police Department)

Police in Pullman, Wash., confirmed that 2-year-old Seraya Aung Harmon was found safely in Mexico more than one month after her father allegedly abducted her. Police say the toddler was found with her father, Aaron Aung, as well as his fiancée, Nadia Cole, at a roadside checkpoint near Santa Ana, Mexico, over the weekend. Protective services took the child while authorities detained the adults.

Police across several states had been searching for the trio since June 3 after her father failed to return her to her mother at a planned custody exchange. The custody exchange was scheduled to take place in Washington State. At the same time, Aaron, who lived in Idaho, had purchased maps of Montana, prompting the FBI and multiple state and local agencies to become involved in the search.

This image from a surveillance camera allegedly shows Aaron Aung and his daughter in Nogales, Mexico. (Martin Ceballos)

Aaron and his daughter were last seen on May 29, the same day Cole disappeared from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where she was due to leave on a trip with her family. Investigators quickly announced they believed the three were together and heading toward Mexico in a black Cadillac XTS.

Police did not offer further details on the arrest, but said that Aaron was being held in the Santa Cruz County Detention Center in Arizona, waiting for extradition on charges of custodial interference. Cole was deported back to the United States, but no charges against her were announced.