A transgender woman and her partner were arrested Monday for allegedly kidnapping her 10-year-old son and flying him to Cuba – where the child’s biological mother feared he would undergo reassignment surgery.
Rose Inessa-Ethington, 42, and her female partner, Blue Inessa-Ethington, purportedly took the kid under the guise of going on a camping trip in Canada, the US Attorney’s Office said in a Tuesday press release.
Instead, they set their sights on Cuba, where family members feared the youngster would undergo “gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty,” the release said.
The child self-identified as a girl in interviews with officials – which family members worried was “due to manipulation by Rose,” according to the feds.
The blended family, who was also traveling with Blue’s 3-year-old child, flew out of Vancouver and landed in Mexico City on March 29.
From there, they took another flight to Havana, Cuba – before they were eventually deported back to the US on Monday, authorities said.
Rose’s ex-wife was granted exclusive custody of the 10-year-old on April 13. She split custody with Rose before the alleged kidnapping.