Bellingham mom faces kidnapping charges after taking son to Panama

A Bellingham woman was charged with international parental kidnapping on Wednesday for secretly flying her son to Panama instead of returning the boy to his father, as required in the final parenting plan.

Talisa Manuella Munoz, 32, violated the custody order by using false documents to obtain a passport for the child and fly him out of the country, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

On September 8, 2025, Munoz was supposed to return the child to his father after a week of visitation. Once the child was not promptly returned, the father reported it to law enforcement, and an FBI investigation was opened.

FBI uncovers passport fraud, family conspiracy

Law enforcement determined that months before Munoz left the U.S., she falsely claimed on her son’s passport application that she had no way to find or know the father. The birth certificate was submitted with “none named” in the section where the father’s name should have been.

The investigation also revealed that Munoz had schemed with her family for months to take the child to Panama and flew out of Seattle on or about September 7, 2025.

In a joint effort, the DOJ Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Panama City worked with law enforcement in Panama to arrest and secure the extradition of Munoz.

Munos was returned to the Western District of Washington on Jan. 8, and her son was reunited with his father.

International parental kidnapping is punishable by a maximum of three years in prison, and false statements in a passport application are punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison.

DOJ noted the charges in the criminal complaint are solely allegations, and a person is presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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