Crime & Safety

Woman Who Abducted Own Child In Orange County Arrested In Oregon

Sera Fina will reportedly face child abduction charges for taking her daughter, Kaia, from a foster home in San Clemente earlier this month.

NEWPORT, OR — A young girl who was reported missing in Orange County, California, earlier this month was picked up in Lincoln County, Oregon, Monday night. Kaia Fina, 11, is said to have been taken from a foster parent's San Clemente home by her biological mother, Sera Fina.

Sera Fina, 42, has been taken to Lincoln County Jail. She is being held on a fugitive warrant from California for child abduction.

Kaia's foster parent reported her missing early Sept. 7. The night before, the unidentified foster parent reportedly last saw Kaia between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m., after Kaia had spoken to her mother on the phone. By 4 a.m. Sept. 7, Kaia was gone.

Find out what's happening in Orange Countyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Police suspected Sera picked up Kaia in a black 2007 BMW and was headed toward Oregon.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the California Patch)

Find out what's happening in Orange Countyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Roughly 10 days later, Oregon State Police troopers and officers from both the Newport and Lincoln City police departments reportedly committed considerable resources to search for Kaia and Sera in a black BMW. The search proved fruitless.

Just before 7:45 p.m., however, an OSP trooper conducting a welfare check on a 2006 Lincoln Navigator parked on the shoulder of Highway 101, near Beverly Beach State Park, recognized the driver and passenger as Sera and Kaia, based on photos released by the Oregon County Sheriff's Office.

According to police officials, between California and Oregon Sera was able to lose the BMW and purchase the Navigator.

Sera was arrested and Kaia was placed in the care of the Department of Human Services.



Images via Orange County (CA) Sheriff's Office, Lincoln County (OR) Sheriff's Office

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.