Layla, her sister Amina, and their brother Sami are missing from Kent, Ohio. They were abducted by their non-custodial father, Ashraf Saiyed Ahmed Al-Jailani. A photograph and vital statistics for Ashraf are posted below this case summary. A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warrant for international parental kidnapping was issued for him on July 28, 2006.

The children's family history is complicated. Ashraf, a Yemeni native, was detained as a suspected terrorist in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was held in Pennsylvania for three and a half years without charges. In the summer of 2004, Michele Swensen, Ashraf's wife and the children's mother, was hospitalized for depression for two months. A photograph of Swensen is posted below this case summary. She claims the depression was a result of her husband's detention. He was the only working person in the family and Swensen and the children had to go on public assistance after his arrest.

Sami, Layla and Amina were taken into foster care at the time of their mother's hospitalization, under the auspices of the Portage County Department of Job and Family Services. They were placed in a Christian foster home, although their parents wanted them placed with Muslims. At one point the county promised to return the children to Swensen, but reneged. They said it was because she had not been taking her anti-depressant medication reliably, but she said it was because the social worker assigned to the family was prejudiced against Muslim individuals. Ashraf is a Muslim, but Swensen is a Christian. After the children had been in foster care for five months, they were returned to Swensen's home.

Ashraf was eventually released from federal custody without being charged with any crimes. He was deported to Yemen, but remained in contact with Swensen and asked her to bring the children to visit him, since he was no longer allowed into the United States. Swensen took the children to Yemen in April 2006; they were to spend the summer with their father and then return to Ohio. Ashraf refused to honor the agreement, however. Under Yemeni law, the children cannot leave the country without the consent of their father, although their mother has full custody in the United States.

Swensen made two trips to Yemen in an effort to get the children back. She stated she saw Ashraf physically abuse them. In October 2006, she took Sami, Amina and Layla from their father's house and ran away with them. She hid for a week, but was unable to leave the country with the children. After Swensen and the children were located, Ashraf told his wife she would not be allowed to visit them again. Swenson has not seen her son or daughters since. She stated Amina had emailed her several times, however. Swenson has made a website detailing her fight to get her children back.

Swensen describes Layla as a laid-back, easygoing, gentle and generous child. Sami, Amina and Layla are still believed to be with their father in Yemen. Their cases remain unsolved.

Above: Michele Swensen