Manhunt intensifies for missing daughter and fiancée: “deceptive personality”

The international manhunt for a missing two-year-old girl in Washington and her father's fiancée continues into its third week.

Family members reported little Seraya Aung Harmon missing on June 3 after her father Aaron Daniel Aung failed to return the child to her mother after his scheduled visit.

Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Aaron Daniel Aung, who illegally retained custody of his daughter Seraya.

The fugitive father is believed to be traveling with his fiancée, Nadia Cole, 21, who went missing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 29.

Police believe the couple may be fleeing to Mexico.

The Pullman Police Department in Washington said News week Friday, there are currently no updates regarding the search.

Aung's parents, however, said in a press release that he had “high moral standards, a strong sense of justice, right and wrong.”

“Seraya, our most precious granddaughter, is in very good hands,” the press release said.

Who is Aaron Aung?

Aaron Aung is an operations manager responsible for teams across multiple business divisions, according to a press release from his parents. He hoped to join the National Guard.

The day before Aung was scheduled to leave for a trip to Montana, his mother said she received a “series of alarming text messages” from Harmon.

“Samara’s text messages suggested that Seraya had a very large bloated stomach and that her intestines were about to explode,” the statement said.

Before the trip to Montana, Aung and his father called the emergency director at Pullman Regional Hospital. Aung's parents put the word travel in quotation marks.

The press release says they were told she was constipated and that “water, prune juice and other medications would take care of the problem.”

“This confirmed Samara’s unstable and deceptive personality, very familiar to the Aung family,” the statement said.

The director apparently gave Seraya the “good start” to go with Aaron.

“Our family’s internal observation is that they acted on Seraya because they felt she was in imminent danger,” the statement said. “Our family observed how much Nadia loved Seraya and cared for her like her own daughter.”

They said Seraya called Cole “mom.”

The family said they observed Seraya smelling of “grass, dog urine, a dirty garbage truck smell and unkempt.” She had dirty nails and apparently rashes on her private parts.

The family provided a photo proving Harmon left the home “a pigsty.”

“Because of the custody issue surrounding Seraya, we have discovered that the family court system in the United States is a disaster, often very willing to give almost total custody to battered mothers, and essentially “castrate” young people capable men,” reads the press release.

The family exposed the problems they had with Harmon, including his drug use.

Where is Seraya Aung Harmon located?

Seraya is two years old and has an oval-shaped birthmark on her left forearm, which measures approximately two to four centimeters.

Her mother, Samara Harmon, posted videos and photos of her daughter on Facebook.

“There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give just to hear you scream 'mom' at the slightest inconvenience, to have you running all over my bed trying to play games after asking for a million and one stories before you go to bed, so you won't sleep or ask for cuddles just one more night,” Harmon posted. “You are the brightest, smartest, kindest, funniest little human I have ever met and seeing your personality shine brighter and brighter every day is my greatest blessing in life.”

Harmon noted in an article that Seraya is “incredibly ill” and that if she doesn't get “the proper medical treatment she needs, it could be fatal.”

Seraya's grandmother, Shawna Harmon, also posted messages on Facebook and was the one who called Child Protective Services shortly after her granddaughter went missing.

“We received a call that Seraya was missing around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 3,” Shawna posted on Facebook. “Samara called from the police station. She was screaming, she was crying, we couldn't understand what she was saying. It took her probably 3 full minutes to be able to make her words understandable. Then we were screaming and crying and I was panicking Also.”

Shawna opened up about the Harmon family's plight. It also left “so many questions,” including “Why would he do this? What does he want? Why haven't they found her?”

Harmon told television host Nancy Grace that Aung would manipulate her and “use their daughter as a weapon.”

“He knew exactly how to get to me,” Harmon said. “He knew what to say to scare me and make me think about one thing over another.”

Harmon said Aung told him he had connections that would allow him to never see Seraya again.

“I’ve seen people witness it,” Harmon said. “This was while we were still a couple.”

The Seattle FBI as well as the Moscow Police Department in Idaho are investigating along with the Pullman Police Department.

“They’re looking all over the world,” Harmon said.

Seraya was last seen with Aung, 21, on May 29.

What happened to the missing bride?

Cole was reported missing by her family on May 29 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She was supposed to go on a trip to Italy with her family, also at the airport.

“It's more than a coincidence that she disappeared at the same time,” Aaron Breshears of the Pullman Police Department told KING-TV in Seattle.

The private investigator for Cole's family told the King 5 newspaper that she left her belongings at an airport gate to use the restroom, but never returned. The family called it “totally out of character.”

It's a video of Cole leaving the airport with a “distressed expression.” The last photographed sighting of Cole took place outside the airport, near the light rail platform north of the parking lot.

She wore a black North Face jacket, a sage green hoodie, black pants and white sneakers.

Cole's latest Instagram post shows his engagement to Aung on November 23, 2023.

There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to the return of Cole, a recent Washington State University graduate.

Where are they now?

Initially, it was believed that Aung had traveled to Montana because he was seen purchasing camping equipment and a Montana map book in Moscow, Idaho, according to the Department of Pullman Police.

The investigation has since revealed, however, that Aung and Cole likely traveled to Mexico in a black 2014 Cadillac XTS with Idaho license plate number 1L5147U.

Aung is reportedly 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 135 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information should contact the Pullman Police Department at [email protected] or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.