The FBI has successfully rescued a 10-year-old child from Utah after the child was allegedly kidnapped and taken to Cuba by a transgender biological parent and her partner. There were growing fears that the child would have to have gender reassignment surgery before puberty. The Department of Justice said in a statement that the child was brought back together with the original mother after an international operation.
Rose Inessa-Ethington, 42, the child’s biological father who became a woman after the child was born, and her girlfriend Blue Inessa-Ethington, 32, also known as Carly Ann Crosby, are in federal custody and are charged with international parental kidnapping and aiding and abetting. The Justice Department says the couple lied about going camping in Calgary, Canada, with their 10-year-old and Blue’s 3-year-old child on March 28, 2026, but instead went to Cuba through Mexico. The girl was meant to go back to her biological mother, who is only known as “LB” in court documents, on April 3. But the group hadn’t been heard from since March 28.
The criminal complaint says that investigators found out that the group crossed the border from the U.S. to Canada on March 29, flew from Vancouver to Mexico City, then went to Merida before traveling to Havana on April 1 using their U.S. passports. A check of the couple’s home turned up comprehensive “to-do” lists with orders to “learn Spanish,” get tourist visas, drain a certain bank account, withdraw $10,000, and put things in storage. FBI Special Agent Jennifer Waterfield wrote in an affidavit that notes were also uncovered that had instructions from a Washington, D.C., mental health therapist about “gender affirming medical care for children” and a request to provide the therapist the $10,000.
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Court filings say the child is a “10-year-old biological male who identifies as a female.” Family members told investigators that they were very worried that Rose Inessa-Ethington was manipulating the child about her gender identification. The FBI said, “Concerns existed that the child was transported to Cuba for gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty,” based on interviews with family members who mostly thought the child’s identification as female was due to the parent’s influence.
A Utah State Court ordered the 10-year-old to go back to her biological mother right away on April 13, 2026. The court also gave the mother full custody of the youngster. Three days later, on April 16, Cuban police found the group in Cuba. This led to a joint effort by the FBI, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Services, and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Havana.
Experts have called the Trump administration’s decision to send a Department of Justice Boeing 757 plane immediately to Cuba to get the child “bizarre” and “highly unusual” for a parental kidnapping case. “This is strange and quite unusual. Jay Groob, head of American Investigative Services, a company that helps with child custody and recovery issues, said, “I’ve never heard of that happening.” The plane landed in Cuba on Monday. The suspects were sent back to the U.S. and brought to federal court in Richmond, Virginia, where they were charged and then taken to Utah for more court hearings.
In a news release from the Department of Justice, Melissa Holyoak, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, said, “We are grateful to law enforcement for working quickly to return the child to the biological mother.” “The safety and well-being of the child is our top priority in every case of parental kidnapping.” “This case shows how strong partnerships can be in finding victims, helping them get back together, and making sure everyone is held accountable,” said Robert Bohls, Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City FBI.
Tess Davis, the lawyer for the child’s biological mother, told The New York Times that the question of transition surgery came up a lot throughout the divorce proceedings between the parents. “I don’t think she ever thought Rose could do this until it was too late.” Davis added, “She was afraid she would never see her child again.” Steven Ethington, the child’s uncle, told the Times that Rose had been “pushing pretty hard” for the youngster to have transition surgery since the boy was about five years old. He also said, “Everything just seemed to be clearly coming from Rose.” It was terrible for me to watch and broke my heart. The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is still looking into the matter. The defendants will be sent to the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City to face the charges that are still pending.
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