COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — Lovie McVeigh, a Coffee County woman, was arrested in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in connection with an international manhunt, a local report said.
This news attracted local attention when Robert Preston from Douglas Now broke the information on Sunday evening, Feb. 1. Officials and family members of McVeigh, a former Coffee County resident, were asked if she was connected to Elleshia Seymour— a mom who attracted national news after flying her four children to Croatia because of apocalyptic fears.
|READ MORE: Dad tries saving kids from orphanage after they were allegedly taken by mom who believed in apocalypse|
Confirmed details are limited. Here’s what we know:
The Utah Connection
According to national news reports, Seymour, who is from Utah, vanished in late November 2025 after posting TikTok videos describing apocalyptic dreams and urging people to prepare for the ‘end times.’
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These reports said Seymour believed the world was ending, and that Salt Lake City, Utah, would be the epicenter of destruction, prompting her to flee. Seymour took an international flight with her four children to Croatia, violating custody agreements, to stay with an American host family, these reports said.
Seymour, 35, was recently detained by authorities in Croatia. In a report by the Associated Press, a child from the host family “tipped” American authorities to where Seymour was staying.
Seymour remains in Croatian custody, and the four children are back with their father, Seymour’s former husband, according to a Fox 13 Utah article, which is based in Salt Lake City.
Seymour was charged with four counts of “Custodial Interference - Remove Child From State,” which is a third-degree felony, Fox 13 Utah reported.
The Coffee County Connection
Robert Preston from Douglas Now in Coffee County broke the story locally, connecting McVeigh as the American family living with Seymour in Croatia. When authorities located Seymour in Croatia, she was reportedly staying with McVeigh and McVeigh’s 13-year-old son in Dubrovnik, according to his report.
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According to the Douglas Now report, McVeigh, 49, had been living in Croatia for approximately 18 months. The report also states that McVeigh met and communicated with Seymour through social media.
McVeigh’s Family Speaks Out
McVeigh’s family said that they are aware of the situation. Saige Cruz, McVeigh’s former stepdaughter spoke with WALB’s Moriah Norman. Cruz’s father, who requested to remain anonymous, was previously married to McVeigh.
Cruz said McVeigh has a social media platform similar to Seymour, where she relays the same apocalyptic messaging. Cruz, 24, who grew up knowing McVeigh and is now married with children, said her former stepmom told the family that she would be out of the country for a time. Cruz said she did not know what country McVeigh was in until the Utah case broke, and she began researching the story.
“If you go look at Lovie’s TikToks and then you go look at Elleshia’s, the mother from Utah... They talk about the same things. They relay the same messages,” Cruz said.
Cruz said she heard about the Utah case when it gained attention on Facebook. She said she noticed similarities between Seymour’s belief and McVeigh’s social media post. Cruz said she followed the case closely, particularly after an interview with the aunt of Seymour’s children in which she did the interview about Elleshia Seymour fleeing to Croatia with her nieces and nephews.
“During that interview, [the aunt] had mentioned that the woman from Utah was actually with an American originally from Georgia,” Cruz said. “And so from there, I kept watching interviews and kept digging, researching.”
According to the AP report and the Douglas Now article, the American host family Seymour lived with has their own child. Cruz said the child is McVeigh’s 13-year-old son, who has a different father. Cruz said the 13-year-old remains in a Croatian orphanage after McVeigh’s detainment.
“The family is definitely trying to get him home. He needs to have a stable home, environment, and an everyday school. Just your average childhood life,” Cruz said.
Cruz said the family is working through a lengthy process with the U.S. Embassy and Croatian authorities to bring the child home. The process she discussed involved submitting documents; verifying identities and residency; and navigating communication barriers and different legal systems between the two countries.
What’s Next
According to an updated Douglas Now report, Croatian authorities arrested McVeigh on child endangerment charges. She reportedly remains incarcerated in the southeastern Europe country.
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McVeigh has a residence in Coffee County, according to the sheriff’s department.
Coffee County court records show, and the county’s district attorney confirmed, that McVeigh has two pending felony cases and an active misdemeanor criminal trespassing warrant.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department declined to release any information about possible charges, if any, that McVeigh might face.
Cruz said the family believes McVeigh should be held accountable for her actions. The family is asking anyone with information about McVeigh’s activities or whereabouts over the past 18 months to come forward. Cruz said the ultimate goal is to safely bring the 13-year-old back to the U.S.
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