WA WA - Seraya Aung Harmon, 2, Pullman, 29 May 2024 *father and daughter went on a fishing trip in Montana but did not return*

[CrimeDawg123]

Is there a reason they don't bump this up to kidnapping?

I'm not a lawyer so take this with a grain of salt, but it is a completely different statute. So it wouldn't be bumped up to kidnapping. Custodial interference is just a different, equally serious, statue.

See here: Chapter 9a.40 RCW: KIDNAPPING, UNLAWFUL IMPRISONMENT, CUSTODIAL INTERFERENCE, LURING, TRAFFICKING, AND COERCION OF INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE

 

[Deleted member 326769]

Criminal. Custodial Interference: Section 18-4506 – Idaho State Legislature

Interesting to note that a valid defense could be:
"It shall be an affirmative defense to a violation of the provisions of subsection 1. of this section that:
(a) The action is taken to protect the child from imminent physical harm;"

Which I am presuming is why the Aungs used that language, and bolded it, in their statement:
"they acted on Seraya because they felt she was in imminent danger"

ETA: Sorry I cited Idaho law. Should be Washington:

RCW 9A.40.060: Custodial interference in the first degree.

Aung Family Statement

Aaron Aung, Nadia Cole and Seraya Aung

aungfamilystatement.com

it may still fall under Idaho law. Doesn’t the father and his family live in Idaho?

 

[4Bigskyy]

This is unbelievably f*ed up. So over the top and completely unhinged!

If the allegations are true, why didn't they go to the authorities? No way would the courts have let Seraya anywhere near a known pedophile.

So many red flags here. To start with, the obvious mistruths and exaggerations e.g. "Nadia, a Washington State University Graduate with a high GPA was studying for her law degree"

Uh no, she wasn't.

"They both have high moral standards, a strong sense of justice, right and wrong."

Really? The court is not going to see it that way.

"Due to the custody issue surrounding Seraya, we discovered the family court system in the United States is a disaster, often, very willing to hand over almost full custody to dead-beat moms, and essentially 'castrating' young, capable men."

The use of the term castrating here is histrionic and very telling about their family dynamic IMO.

Going on and on about vaccination? WTH ?

What a huge huge miscalculation to release this statement. You have to feel this is Mrs. Aung writing this. Whatever the case, they've just put their foot in it and LE will come down hard on them if they know anything. Which, at this point, is hard to think otherwise. Why didn't they consult a lawyer.

The family never had legal advisement before issuing the statement. The tone of the writing in the statement comes off very clearly as written by a person who has narcissistic tendencies. This person has the opinion they are above the law.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

it may still fall under Idaho law. Doesn’t the father and his family live in Idaho?

Oh I don't know anymore LOL ...

The laws about custodial interference seem to be pretty similar between Idaho and Washington, so whatever the case, they are very screwed.

 

[Deleted member 326769]

Seraya is missing from Pullman, WA, not Idaho.

Are we sure about that? Because it sounds like they had 50/50 custody. If the father had her at the time and they are missing, wouldn’t she be missing out of Idaho?

 

[sasha17]

Are we sure about that? Because it sounds like they had 50/50 custody. If the father had her at the time and they are missing, wouldn’t she be missing out of Idaho?

She was last seen in Pullman at the custody exchange. i believe that's why she's considered missing out of WA.

 

[Artis]

Thank you for clarifying. It came across to me that you were perfectly fine with the Aung Family statement, which seemed to support Aaron taking off with the child. I couldn't imagine under what circumstances it was fine to take off with Seraya and continue to ignore the law.
Sorry if I misunderstood.

No problem. Earlier I said that custody situations are the worst and I meant that. So many times we've seen courts give custody to parents who end up harming or killing the child or they hook up with a new partner who does. Conversely, decent parents are often falsely accused in custody battles. I have no idea what's going on with these people so only felt it important to verify the little girl is okay, as in first things first.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 13, 2024

Fugitive, fiancé, daughter missing

PULLMAN — Multiple agencies across the nation are searching for a man who is believed to have fled to Mexico with his daughter after violating a parenting plan. The Pullman Police Department issued a warrant Wednesday, June 5, for the arrest of Aaron Daniel Aung, 21, of Moscow, Idaho, for...

www.wcgazette.com

The Pullman Police Department [WASHINGTON] issued a warrant Wednesday, June 5, for the arrest of Aaron Daniel Aung, 21, OF MOSCOW, IDAHO, for Custodial Interference in the first degree.

Aung violated a Latah County District Court parenting plan involving custody of his daughter, Seraya Aung Harmon, 2, with the child’s mother Samara Harmon, OF PULLMAN.

The PULLMAN Police Department is working with the MOSCOW Police Department, the FBI and several other agencies from Washington State to Montana.

 

[Cedars]

Is there a reason they don't bump this up to kidnapping?

That is the local LE warrant. It is based on Washington state laws. In Washington state there is no crime called 'child kidnapping', when a parent takes the child (that might be a charge if a stranger took the child). The specific name of the crime that has been committed is called 'custodial interference'.

IMO, if the child has been kept in Washington State, or is returned to police there, that would be the charge, based on the laws of Washington state.

If, as they believe, she has been taken over state or international lines, it becomes the responsibility of the FBI to investigate. For that, they invoke a federal law called the Fugitive Felon Act. That allows the FBI to use federal databases and resources to locate the person. They also can work with police in other countries:

"FBI Assistant Special Agent Kelly Smith says these cases become difficult when they go international.

“We are not considered law enforcement in a foreign country, but our position and our world there is to work with that law enforcement agencies to further our mission, and sometimes that’s providing investigative support for a foreign country to help with an investigation there and sometimes that’s requesting support from that country,” Smith said.

The plea to return missing 2-year-old, Seraya Aung, back home | FOX 28 Spokane

PULLMAN, Wash - The plea to Aaron Aung from Samara Harmon to return her 2-year-old daughter. Seraya Aung was reported missing by Harmon 12 agonizing days ago after Aaron didn’t return Seraya for custody exchange. Police now believe Seraya is in Mexico with Aaron Aung, her father, and his fiancé...

www.fox28spokane.com

Here is a recent case from California: after FBI and Mexican police located and deported the mother, she has been charged with international parental kidnapping.

Baby boy returns to Southern California after being taken to Mexico

The 16-month-old boy was allegedly kidnapped by his biological mother, who does not have custody of him, according to authorities.

www.nbclosangeles.com

 

[Artis]

I'm not a lawyer so take this with a grain of salt, but it is a completely different statute. So it wouldn't be bumped up to kidnapping. Custodial interference is just a different, equally serious, statue.

See here: Chapter 9a.40 RCW: KIDNAPPING, UNLAWFUL IMPRISONMENT, CUSTODIAL INTERFERENCE, LURING, TRAFFICKING, AND COERCION OF INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE

Looks like he meets the criteria for both first degree custodial interference and 2nd degree kidnapping which is a class B felony. Maybe they will revise the charges if he doesn't surface pretty quickly. I don't think he has any intention of bringing her back, based upon the Aung family statement.

ETA: Scratch that. I misread the statute. They can't charge kidnapping if the person is taken for custody reasons.​

 

[Artis]

JUN 13, 2024

Fugitive, fiancé, daughter missing

PULLMAN — Multiple agencies across the nation are searching for a man who is believed to have fled to Mexico with his daughter after violating a parenting plan. The Pullman Police Department issued a warrant Wednesday, June 5, for the arrest of Aaron Daniel Aung, 21, of Moscow, Idaho, for...

www.wcgazette.com

The Pullman Police Department [WASHINGTON] issued a warrant Wednesday, June 5, for the arrest of Aaron Daniel Aung, 21, OF MOSCOW, IDAHO, for Custodial Interference in the first degree.

Aung violated a Latah County District Court parenting plan involving custody of his daughter, Seraya Aung Harmon, 2, with the child’s mother Samara Harmon, OF PULLMAN.

The PULLMAN Police Department is working with the MOSCOW Police Department, the FBI and several other agencies from Washington State to Montana.

Latah county is in Idaho (just to confuse things more, lol).

 

[azure]

I got to page 6 of the statement and my eyes rolled so far back in my head I thought I'd gone blind. LE needs to find Aung ASAP and charge everyone to the fullest extent of the law they all see themselves as being above.

 

[Artis]

More bad news is that if Aaron truly believes his daughter's mother is unfit, he doesn't have a prayer of getting custody, now. So, I would venture a guess that it makes him far less likely to return her.

 

[azure]

IMO: there are groups with disingenuous agendas that have waged very successful campaigns to convince wide swaths of the population that there are traffickers on every corner. In this time of intense paranoia about CSA, making statements that your ex has a "reported molester" in their family who is in contact with the kid(s) has been used to justify everything from kidnapping to murders (in the recent Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley case). And even after these abhorrent kidnappings and murders are committed, because of the CSA angle, there are always members of the public ready to excuse the monsters perpetrating these acts. It's really concerning to me to watch this, and unless we as a society move away from conspiracies and towards rational thought, I see more "justified" kidnappings and murders on the horizon.

 

[LolaAngelina]

IMO: there are groups with disingenuous agendas that have waged very successful campaigns to convince wide swaths of the population that there are traffickers on every corner. In this time of intense paranoia about CSA, making statements that your ex has a "reported molester" in their family who is in contact with the kid(s) has been used to justify everything from kidnapping to murders (in the recent Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley case). And even after these abhorrent kidnappings and murders are committed, because of the CSA angle, there are always members of the public ready to excuse the monsters perpetrating these acts. It's really concerning to me to watch this, and unless we as a society move away from conspiracies and towards rational thought, I see more "justified" kidnappings and murders on the horizon.

Unless the half brother is a convicted paedophile they will find themselves in a lot of trouble. “Reported” isn’t enough when you are putting it out to the public. I also wonder if they were concerned that she was being molested why didn’t they contact CPS or the police?

 

[AnyNameIWish]

I think it's unconscionable that the Aungs made this statement, in PUBLIC, to the PRESS. This all should have been kept private and spoken about with LE.

I think family Aung intended for this to be a PR stunt. 100%. They want this to be "tried in the court of public opinion" and thought their pretty website and download able PDF files with pretty pictures of the family and terrifying accusations of cocaine use and a disheveled home and the little one smelling like garbage/weed would win over people on social media, make us think... oooh, what a respectable family, son and grandson of Dr Tin Aung, of course they need to take the grandchild away!!!! [Heavy on the /s]

Oooh. They thought wrong.
If anything this has given LE more of an arsenal to look into family Aung and their money trail, international connections, etc. It's just a matter of time before they're brought to justice. It's shocking to me that even the sisters are doubling down on this by actively sharing the link to this comedic website. We'll, it would be comedic if it weren't for the fact that a child is missing.

 

[Megnut]

1. When their son was living with the baby's mother, why didn't HE clean the house? He had to pick up DIAPERS? He's the DAD. Pick them up. Clean up. If that's not enough, hire a maid.

2. Custody was already litigated. No one was castrated. But seriously, the Court must have heard all of this -- that was his opportunity to present his case -- and the COURT RULED. You don't get to decide IN THIS COUNTRY -- you be your own court.

3. Did the Cadillac go south with a decoy? I no longer believe the three were traveling together at any point. All whisked to the same destination but not necessarily together. Everyone has been looking for two adults and a child. In Mexico.

Nadia traveling solo. Aaron traveling solo. Someone else escorting the toddler. Reunited behind, in effect, an iron curtain.

What a terrifying, helpless feeling for the toddler's mommy.

This was finely orchestrated.

Criminally orchestrated.

JMO

 

[MamaSleuth5]

Aung Family Statement

Aaron Aung, Nadia Cole and Seraya Aung

aungfamilystatement.com

I'm not even sure where to start. Some things that jumped out at me:

The pictures, particularly the "pigsty" photo, alleged to show how SAMARA kept THEIR residence (emphasis mine). If this is indeed a photo of the apartment shared by Aaron and Samara, shouldn't both adults be responsible for keeping the environment clean and safe for their child? If the environment was not clean, tidy, etc, IMO Aaron was equally responsible. JMO

The portion of the statement involving vaccination also stood out to me. JMO It sounded as if Samara was presented with the A family's viewpoint on vaccination and expected to conform to it. IMO even if Samara agreed with them then, it's acceptable to later perhaps educate herself and change her viewpoint. It is not unreasonable for a mother to follow facts and evidence rather than blindly following her child's grandparents "mandates". MOO

Also IMO the photo allegedly showing a text from Samara saying that she takes medication and participates in therapy was presented by the A family as a negative. MOO I see that as a positive step.

I hope Samara has trusted legal counsel to help her in whatever the next step is for her. JMO I feel so sorry for all she's going through.

The statement repeated that Seraya is "in capable hands ". MOO but the capable hands Seraya is supposed to be in are her MOTHER'S. No one should think themselves above the law and entitled to break it. IMO that's the sense I got from the whole statement.

Whew. Sorry for the long post but like everyone here I just want the adults in Seraya's life to put her first and bring her home safe. Prayers for this sweet baby.

 

[MamaSleuth5]

1. When their son was living with the baby's mother, why didn't HE clean the house? He had to pick up DIAPERS? He's the DAD. Pick them up. Clean up. If that's not enough, hire a maid.

2. Custody was already litigated. No one was castrated. But seriously, the Court must have heard all of this -- that was his opportunity to present his case -- and the COURT RULED. You don't get to decide IN THIS COUNTRY -- you be your own court.

3. Did the Cadillac go south with a decoy? I no longer believe the three were traveling together at any point. All whisked to the same destination but not necessarily together. Everyone has been looking for two adults and a child. In Mexico.

Nadia traveling solo. Aaron traveling solo. Someone else escorting the toddler. Reunited behind, in effect, an iron curtain.

What a terrifying, helpless feeling for the toddler's mommy.

This was finely orchestrated.

Criminally orchestrated.

JMO

Haha @Megnut I had read your post yet and posted the same thoughts.

I agree, I can't even begin to imagine how this mama is feeling..

 

[Bahshudc]

Aaron has not saved anyone, he’s only made this toddler more distressed and uncomfortable. And what, Nadia wants to be a law student? As in, like, the law? I sure hope she never gets into family law because her perspective is CLEARLY not one to be trusted. I am livid, my heart hurts for this mother.