Eric Ethington, who also goes by the name 'Rose Inessa-Ethington', was apprehended this past Tuesday after being deported from Cuba alongside a partner. The 42-year-old is facing allegations of kidnapping his 10-year-old biological son and traveling to Havana with the intent of arranging gender reassignment surgery for the child.
With over 15 years dedicated to the LGBTQ+ movement, Ethington is a well-known transgender activist from Utah. He has established organizations such as PRIDEinUtah and Queer Quorum and has contributed over 50 articles to LGBTQ Nation, with his work being highlighted by major publications like MSNBC, The New York Times, and The Guardian.
According to Department of Justice court documents, on March 28, Ethington misled the child's biological mother, Lindsey Boden, by claiming he would take the child on a camping trip to Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The group crossed the border from Washington state on March 29, flew from Vancouver to Mexico City that same day, traveled to Mérida, and by April 1, arrived in Havana using U.S. passports and carrying $10,000 in cash.
The child was supposed to return to his mother on April 3 under their shared custody arrangement, which did not happen. Unable to contact her son or Ethington, Boden alerted the Logan, Utah police.
The search of the accused's residence uncovered task lists for draining bank accounts, learning Spanish, and obtaining tourist visas, along with notes from a Washington D.C. therapist about "gender-affirming care for children" and a $10,000 payment request to that professional.
Ethington's partner, known as Blue Inessa-Ethington, whose real name is Carly Ann Crosby, 32, was also arrested and deported. Both appeared before a federal judge in Richmond, Virginia, to face charges of international child abduction.
On April 13, a Utah state court granted exclusive custody of the child to Boden and ordered his immediate return. Three days later, Cuban authorities located the group in Havana and started coordination with the FBI.
On April 21, a Boeing 757 from the U.S. Department of Justice landed at José Martí International Airport in Havana in an operation described as "unprecedented" by parental abduction experts, given that Cuba is not a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction.
Ethington began identifying as a woman shortly after the birth of his child and obtained shared custody following a divorce from his ex-wife.
In 2021, he initiated a fundraising campaign titled "Help a Trans Mother Keep Custody of Her Child" to contest for greater custody rights, expressing feeling "disadvantaged" compared to his ex-wife.
According to the FBI affidavit, the child, born male, identifies as female, a situation which the biological family attributes to manipulation by Ethington, who started identifying as female around the time of the child's birth.
FBI Director Kash Patel publicly praised the rescue: "The FBI and our partners acted swiftly to recover a child who ended up in Cuba, with the alleged kidnapper parent intending to subject the minor to a gender transition."
Key Details About the Alleged Abduction Case
What are the charges against Eric Ethington?
Ethington faces charges of international child abduction after allegedly kidnapping his 10-year-old child and taking him to Cuba for gender reassignment surgery.
How did the authorities recover the child?
The FBI collaborated with Cuban authorities to locate the group in Havana, leading to their deportation back to the United States.
What is the significance of the operation in Cuba?
The operation was described as "unprecedented" because Cuba is not a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, making such cooperation rare.