An American father is appealing to the British public for help locating his two sons, who he says were abducted by his British ex-wife in London earlier this year. Ben Baier, 43, from near Denver, Colorado, has not seen five-year-old Blaine Baier and three-year-old Nathaniel “Nate” Baier since March, when they were due to be returned to him after a court-ordered visit with their mother.
Mother on the run for nearly six months
Nishika Samaratunga, a 34-year-old British citizen from a prominent Sri Lankan tea-making family, is believed to be concealing the whereabouts of the boys. The children were born in the United States and were in their father’s care following the couple’s separation. In March, Mr Baier brought them to the UK for a scheduled contact visit, but Ms Samaratunga failed to return them, and he has not seen his sons since.
Court proceedings are ongoing in both the High Court in the UK and a court in Colorado. The Colorado court has previously authorised American law enforcement to take custody of the children due to a “credible risk that the children are in imminent danger.” Late last month, the same court ordered that Ms Samaratunga be prevented from seeing the boys, ruling that she “presents an ongoing significant risk of harm” to them.
Court ruling details alleged risks
In a 29-page ruling, District Judge Michal Anne Lord-Blegen wrote: “Her abduction of the children, a crime in both the United States and the United Kingdom, confirms that she will take any measure to keep the children from (their) father.” The judge also noted that while caring for the boys before leaving the US, Ms Samaratunga allowed the family home to become “uninhabitable” and to “deteriorate to the point that it was unsafe and unsanitary for the children to reside.”
Judge Lord-Blegen added: “The children were residing in a home the condition of which bordered on injurious and neglectful, putting her desire to punish, harm, and disparage (their) father ahead of the children's need for a secure, safe, and clean residence.” The judge further stated that after returning to the UK, Ms Samaratunga made additional relocation requests and falsely accused Mr Baier of child abuse and domestic violence as part of her “plotting against him.”
Father’s plea for information
Mr Baier’s lawyers have expressed concern that the boys, who have autism, do not appear to be attending school or nursery and are not receiving medical care. In a public appeal, Mr Baier said: “My only concern at this point is ensuring that Blaine and Nathaniel are safe – children should not have to grow up on the run. Anything the British public can do to help us locate the children will help them get the support that they need.”
He added: “For more than five months now they have been cut off from friends, family and the only home they'd ever known, without access to the necessary resources to support their health and development. Please, Nishika, bring the boys home.”
Background and legal efforts
The couple married in 2020, and Ms Samaratunga moved to the US, but their relationship broke down in 2024. She applied to a Colorado court to relocate the children to London in August last year, but the request was refused. She then returned to the UK without them the following month, leaving them in the care of their maternal grandmother in the US.
In October, the Colorado court granted Mr Baier primary custody and ordered that the children live in the state. It also ordered Mr Baier to bring the boys to England for visits with their mother, with the first visit taking place between December and January. After the second visit in March, Ms Samaratunga failed to return the children, breaching the court order.
Mr Baier began High Court proceedings after the abduction. UK judges have issued orders against several companies, including JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Thames Water, and the NHS, in an attempt to trace Ms Samaratunga, but without success. Amy Rowe, a partner at Hunters Law LLP, representing Mr Baier, said: “It is vital for Blaine and Nathaniel's welfare, both short- and long-term, that they are returned home safely. Please contact us confidentially if you have any information about their whereabouts.”
