Trans parent, partner charged with kidnapping boy after fears they flew to Cuba for sex-change surgery

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Friday, April 24, 2026

A trans-identified male and his partner are facing federal kidnapping charges after fears they took a 10-year-old boy in a shared custody arrangement to Cuba for a so-called “gender reassignment surgery” without the consent of the child’s mother.

Eri Ethington, 42, who goes by the name Rose Inessa-Ethington, and his partner, Blue Inessa-Ethington, also known as Carly Ann Crosby, 32, were deported from Cuba on Monday with assistance from the FBI. The Cache County, Utah, residents were taken into federal custody upon landing in the United States based on a federal criminal complaint charging them with international parental kidnapping.

The pair appeared in court for an arraignment in Richmond, Virginia, but will be transported to Utah for the remainder of the proceedings.

“We are grateful to law enforcement for working swiftly to return the child to the mother,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah said in a Tuesday statement.

Ethington, Crosby and Crosby's 3-year-old child and were supposed to travel by car on March 28 to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with Ethington's 10-year-old son at the center of the complaint for a planned camping trip, according to court documents.

Authorities say they never arrived at their hotel in Calgary or the campground where they planned to stay from March 29 to April 2, as they were supposed to return the boy to his mother the day after the camping trip ended, but did not do so.

“As alleged, the group had not been heard from since March 28, 2026, when the 10-year-old told the mother via telephone they arrived in Canada,” the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah reported. “The mother shares custody of the 10-year-old with Rose, her former spouse.”

Court documents state that on March 29, the group crossed the U.S.-Canada border and took a flight from Vancouver, Canada, to Mexico City, Mexico, then another flight on April 1 from Merida, Mexico, to Havana, Cuba.

The child’s family expressed concern for his well-being, stating that the boy identifies as female, which they believe is due to influence from his father, according to court documents. The family also feared that the father may have taken him to Cuba for a sex-change surgery before he began puberty.

Law enforcement in Cuba located the group on April 16, and they were later returned to the United States. On April 13, a Utah state court order required the boy to be returned to his mother and granted her exclusive custody.

“Our priority in every parental kidnapping case is the safety and well-being of the child,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI said in a Tuesday statement. “This case reflects the strength of partnerships in locating victims, supporting reunification, and ensuring accountability.”

Other cases involving parents or guardians who object to so-called “gender-affirming care” for their child have at times resulted in loss or challenges to custody.

In 2020, California Superior Court Judge Joni Hiramoto stripped Ted Hudacko of shared custody of his son, Drew, following a contentious court battle.

Hudacko had expressed concern about his son’s confusion about his gender. He said the attorney representing Drew helped facilitate a hormonal “gender transition” against his wishes.

The procedure to insert a hormone-blocking implant occurred months before Hudacko realized it had happened, when Drew was 17. Hudacko said his son was sterilized following the procedure, which may violate California Family Code Section 6925(b)(1), which does not authorize a minor to be sterilized without parental consent.