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

[Inthedetails]

I don’t know the answer to that but I can say that, in my experience, it is not uncommon for well-to-do individuals to balk at paying for legal advice. This is essentially true, in my experience, when the individual has advanced degrees.

Maybe NC served as legal counsel.

jmo and just kidding...I hope

 

[Megnut]

And Nadia? What is she thinking? Denounce her family and likely her country? What was she promised to make that attractive? Wealth perhaps? I hope that, for as long as this travesty plays out, she lives up to perfection. You don't want to be on the outside of that family trying to look in.

JMO

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

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.

The only time Nadia will see the inside of a courtroom is to face criminal charges for stealing another woman's child. The Aung family is just horrendous. I can't even believe what a horrible person you must be to say such things about the mother of your grandchild. To out a reported SA and trauma, to post your anti-vax delusional nonsense, and to do so thinking it will help your pathetic case.

I feel so bad for Samara and for Nadia's parents, along with this poor dear child who is clearly in the hands of a family who does NOT have her best interest at heart.

May they be captured by LE, extradited and the wheels of justice move quickly. I'm horrified by the Aung family.

MOO

 

[Inthedetails]

And Nadia? What is she thinking? Denounce her family and likely her country? What was she promised to make that attractive? Wealth perhaps? I hope that, for as long as this travesty plays out, she lives up to perfection. You don't want too be on the outside of that family trying to look in.

JMO

I don't know, but it looks like she was impressed with a good-looking guy from a wealthy family and she wanted in. I also think looking like a "better" mom than the real mom gave her an ego boost. And for some reason, she dumped her own family for all this.
jmo

 

[sasha17]

Didn't the press release say that a "private" custody agreement was met? Perhaps it was court approved rather than court ordered?

Earlier in this thread, the public records from the custody case were linked. Obviously we can't see all the nitty gritty but it shows it was settled by legal mediation, so there wasn't a court trial or judge who made the decisions. When a parenting plan is settled by mediation, a judge signs off on it for it to become official but a legal mediator and the parties involved are who came up with the agreement.

According to the family's press statement, it sounds like as part of their agreement, Aaron agreed to vaccinate in exchange for having more custodial time.

 

[Googlebutts]

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

I was thinking the same thing last night. They may not have ever been together, nor headed to Mexico. The entire thing might just be a smoke screen. This case is so bad and frightening. I don’t know what to think or who to believe.

 

[aggiekel2005]

I just looked through the entire family statement... it's gross that they are using the mother's mental health and the fact that she's in therapy against her. It's also gross that they bring up her past SA.

I don't like that they also try to make the biological mom look bad for wanting to vaccinate her child. I know this is a hot topic/debate... but is it necessary to bring it up now? Seems like a stretch to use that to diminish her character.

I don't understand the whole page about the child calling other people mama and dada- in my experience this is pretty common when kids are learning to say things. My children used to call every man with a baseball hat on in the grocery store "dada".

The other thing I notice about the photos is that almost all of them look like they were taken on a family vacation to Vegas. Why are those the only photos shared?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Agree. It's so odd! It is becoming more obvious the parents are involved somehow, imo. For supposedly having money and attorney's, I am shocked to read their "statement". It opens up an entirely new can of worms in so many ways.

I suspected the parents, right off, because of that silly handwritten note they provided, validating the ruse about Montana.
I think there is much more to be known about these parents.

I am reminded of an earlier post that I just loved.....
Mum and then Boom.

 

[tlcya]

Aung family is giving me HEAVY Gregor family vibes. And we all know how that ended.

That statement is the most self serving, do what I want and apologize later if I have to bull crap I've ever read. Nobody is above the law. If the issues they describe are real and a threat to Seraya the court is the place to address it. LEGALLY. Nadia, the aspiring attorney, of all people, should know this.

If Young, dumb, and in love had a picture it would be hers. Ridiculous. I don't like my baby's mama and want custody but the laws around that don't apply to us. GMAFB!

I am livid.

And if they think this little stunt is going to help their case for custody or avoid prosecution they are most assuredly wrong.

 

[Teche]

Has Nadia’s family released a statement? I can't imagine how worried they must be concerned for her safety.

 

[pandamonium]

Further proving Aung's parent's involvement, imo, is that they never mentioned encouraging them to return or hoping to return home. Nothing shows any concern or worry about the situation.
Gaslighting at its best. Let's victim-shame the poor mom and hold your son in the highest regard, even when the courts already ruled.

 

[DoctorRose]

School was apparently very important to her. She recently graduated from college and has (had?) plans to take the LSAT exam this summer to get into law school.

jmo

It’s possible to get a bachelors and start prepping for law school while also thinking it’s dumb and hating it. College courses aren’t really THAT hard. You don’t have to be a genius, you just have to put in effort for the most part. A lot of students are able to do that just because their parents expect them to.

 

[DoctorRose]

IMO I don’t think he took her to be protective. Mom has stated this is not the first time he has taken / withheld the child from her, but the first time SINCE their custody agreement was put into place. She said in the past he has witheld the child from her for up to 2 weeks in order to manipulate moms behavior (stop being mad when he was caught cheating etc). It is a control thing.

Same. I think he’s saying “that’s MY kid” to be possessive, not because he actually wants to care for his kid.

 

[DoctorRose]

I'm astonished that someone planning on law school would risk even getting charged with anything. Generally applications require you to disclose everything, ever, down to traffic tickets. And that's not even getting into the character and fitness section of the bar application. Not that having something to disclose is an absolute barrier to the profession, but it well might limit your choices.

disclosures
felon wins right to bar exam

I mean yeah if she’s joined him by choice, the law school train has left the station.

 

[wnk]

The release of the Aung Family Statement certainly aligns with some of my suspicions on the family dynamics (which I'd hesitated to speak of here, since we're supposed to be victim-friendly, and both AA's family and SAH's mother are both considered victims).

From the Aungs' Statement...


So here we have two young adults with lots of things that they say they intend to do in the future, though for whatever reason, they have not yet. AA could have joined the National Guard at 17 with parental permission, or at 18 on his own. Why had he not yet? NC had not yet taken the LSAT or been accepted to a law school, which many "responsible, resourceful, smart" students would have done prior to graduation. (LSATs are generally taken 9-12mo prior to starting law school.) Why had she not yet?

"they acted on Seraya" - to me, this is admission that AA's family knew there was a plan to take SAH.


"his 'trip' to Montana" - using quotations around "trip" again only seems to verify that the fishing trip story was just that: a story

"rashes... unusual behavior" - diaper rashes are extremely common, and some children's skin is more sensitive than others; a rash in itself is not any indication of abuse. Saying "go away" at diaper changes isn't necessarily unusual either; some kids don't like having their diaper changed, and if she did have diaper rashes, she may have come to associate that with discomfort.

"she kept their home like a pigsty... complain of having to pick up after dirty diapers" - and yet AA was living in this home as well, so was it not his responsibility to provide his daughter with a clean living space? Why should the task of housekeeping fall solely on the mother?



"family court system in the United States is a disaster" - because it doesn't favor YOU? Most States will generally try to keep both parents involved in their children's lives, if at all possible.

Samara's half-brother - some extremely heavy allegations here.


domestic violence in their family - and yet the text states that Samara refused to stay with him because of that, which to me, shows the right choice. (After all, we can't help who our family is, but we can certainly set healthy boundaries with them, such as I'm not going to stay with him. Also, medication and therapy? GOOD things.



We do not vaccinate - So they're saying that, even though AA's family paid a PI to dig up all this ugly dirt on SAH's mom and her family about drugs and SA, they only got 50/50 custody because they don't vaccinate. I'm calling BS on that. IIRC, Idaho had one of the lowest vaccination rates during COVID. As of 2023, it had the highest rate of vaccine exceptions in the USA. This is NOT the full story.

totalitarian government - Just because a government does not give you exactly what you want does not mean they are totalitarian. Using that term in this case is absurd. AA's issue here is with the Idaho state court system, not the "United States government" or any other centralized governing body that's trying to control them by force. (And with the earlier indication that this was a "private custody agreement," it sounds like the problem is really that they don't want to stick with what they themselves previously agreed upon.)

Totalitarianism is a form of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens. It is characterized by strong central rule that attempts to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression. (britannica.com)


"Seraya... is in very capable hands" - Again, this feels like an admission that they know exactly what's going on. Which also makes me suspicious of the "going to Mexico" thing. If they have resources and were in on the planning stages, who knows what other mis-directions they'd planned.



"asking Aaron for weed" - This tells me that AA was the one who regularly provided her with weed. In this conversation, he doesn't say no, or tell her he doesn't know where to get it. He only tells her he's finishing other stuff first or can't make it there that night. If they really think that this somehow exonerates their son, they're completely wrong.

Now, TBH, from her first interview, SAH's mother has struck me as someone who is not the most emotionally mature or responsible. (Calling SAH her "very best friend;" talking about all of the times that SAH disrupts her sleep, doesn't want to eat dinner, etc.) The medical concerns, too, were presented in a way that made me question whether they were being exaggerated. Everyone responds differently in a crisis, but to me, her body language in the earliest interviews felt "off" -- lacking visible indicators of sorrow or concern. Possibly a sign that she didn't really understand the seriousness of the situation, or possibly just didn't think it that big a deal, since apparently, AA had withheld SAH from her before.

HOWEVER... Parental custody is a legal right, and unless it is proven that she is somehow unfit to care for her child, that's absolutely beside the point here. When you have a child with someone, you don't get to be the sole decision-maker in that child's life.

 

[pandamonium]

FWIW, weed is legal in many states, including WA. His parents may not support or agree with weed usage but it's legal, so what is their point? It's obvious what they are trying to do and there is no proof their angel son wasn't using it too.

 

[cobalt sky]

And Nadia? What is she thinking? Denounce her family and likely her country? What was she promised to make that attractive? Wealth perhaps? I hope that, for as long as this travesty plays out, she lives up to perfection. You don't want to be on the outside of that family trying to look in.

JMO

Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe there is truth to some or all of the Aung family claims? That maybe Nadia loves Seraya and her fiancée and witnessed some of it herself? That maybe two very young kids made an impulsive and desperate yet foolish move to protect a toddler they dearly love?

Just because the way the Aungs went about airing the dirty laundry was in poor taste doesn’t mean that it isn’t true! Why is it that when a mother takes off with her children to protect them from an unsafe situation with their father, everyone assumes it must be true and cheers her on. When a father does it, it’s automatically assumed that he’s lying and using it for leverage or control and he is demonized.

Meanwhile, everyone wants to conveniently ignore the alleged issues with the mother that may have been creating a potentially unsafe environment for Seraya. It is likely that two young kids made poor choices in an effort to protect a beloved child. They should be getting the same benefit of the doubt as the mother. The real problem here imo is the way the Aung parents are handling the situation, but again they probably think they are protecting their son and gd not realizing what a shitshow they have created. I can also say from personal experience that there are likely cultural issues at play as well.

This entire situation imo is a whirling mass of good intentions mixed with poor choices.

All imo

 

[tlcya]

We were clear WE DO NOT VACCINATE

how dare Samaya do something otehr than what we wanted.

The only totalitarian attitude I see in this case is the Aung family attidute. Our way or the highway. It's no wonder AA was controling with his child's mother. He comes by it honestly. Makes me totally believe Samaya on the whole AA would withhold the baby and threaten to make sure I never saw her again.

After all, isn't that what he is attempting to do with this abduction? The Aungs thought Samaya was beneath them. AA has now upgraded to a pretty blonde college girl from the right kind of family with the right kind of pedigree. This is who they see as the future wife of their son and mother of their grandchild. Not that messy girl from the trashy family whose in therapy with SA trauma in her past.

All MOO and impressions bolstered by this recent Aung family statement.

 

[Bluebear15]

Since when does cheating on your partner prove that you have high moral values!!
Jail the entire Aung family imo.

 

[tlcya]

Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe there is truth to some or all of the Aung family claims? That maybe Nadia loves Seraya and her fiancée and witnessed some of it herself? That maybe two very young kids made an impulsive and desperate yet foolish move to protect a toddler they dearly love?

Just because the way the Aungs went about airing the dirty laundry was in poor taste doesn’t mean that it isn’t true! Why is it that when a mother takes off with her children to protect them from an unsafe situation with their father, everyone assumes it must be true and cheers her on. When a father does it, it’s automatically assumed that he’s lying and using it for leverage or control and he is demonized.

Meanwhile, everyone wants to conveniently ignore the alleged issues with the mother that may have been creating a potentially unsafe environment for Seraya. It is likely that two young kids made poor choices in an effort to protect a beloved child. They should be getting the same benefit of the doubt as the mother. The real problem here imo is the way the Aung parents are handling the situation, but again they probably think they are protecting their son and gd not realizing what a shitshow they have created. I can also say from personal experience that there are likely cultural issues at play as well.

This entire situation imo is a whirling mass of good intentions mixed with poor choices.

All imo

if any of their allegations are true then the A's had plenty of legal recourse. Did they tell us that they filed anything or reported anything they allege to anyone in authority in their statement? Did they outline all the ways they've tried to address their concerns legally? NO. Did it ever occur to anyone they haven't told us of their attempts to "protect" Seraya because there were none?

Meanwhile some want to conveniently ignore the fact that a toddler was removed from her mother and ostensibly taken across the border with absolutely no authority to do so resulting in a warrant for AA's arrest. They don't deserve the same benefit of the doubt as the mother because they've shown themselves to be duplicitous throughout. MOO JMO