Mount Vernon woman, mother arrested after allegedly kidnapping 5-year-old and taking him to Vietnam

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A Mount Vernon woman and her mother, accused of kidnapping a 5-year-old boy and taking him to Vietnam, were arrested at Sea-Tac Airport on Thursday.

According to police, the boy had been placed in the care of Amanda Dinges by the Department of Youth and Family Services. On Nov. 29, investigators learned that Dinges had possibly left the country with the boy and her mother, Amber Dinges.

The Mount Vernon Police Department launched an investigation with assistance from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Diplomatic Security Service.

Investigators later learned that Amanda and Amber Dinges had both planned to flee with the boy. Arrest warrants for second-degree kidnapping were issued for both.

After interviews with associates and the families of Amanda and Amber Dinges, investigators narrowed their location down to Thai Binh, Vietnam, a city 70 miles southeast of Hanoi, MVPD said.

On Dec. 14, the boy was safely secured by DSS personnel and flown to Tokyo, Japan, for the first leg of his trip home to Seattle. FBI agents and victim advocates traveled with the boy back to Seattle the following day and he was reunited with his biological mother on Dec. 16.

On Thursday, Amanda and Amber Dinges were arrested by Mount Vernon police officers at Sea-Tac Airport when the women returned to Seattle from Vietnam.

They are in custody at the Skagit County Community Justice Center in Mount Vernon.

Their first court appearance at the Skagit County Community Justice Center in Mount Vernon is expected on Friday.

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