Accused Parents Returned to Utah

Associated Press, October 10, 1998
By Bob Zellar

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A couple accused of kidnapping their malnourished 21-month-old son from a Utah hospital and fleeing to Montana waived extradition and were returned to face charges here.

Christopher and Kyndra Fink were caught on Monday in Montana with their son, David Fink, who authorities said had been fed little more than watermelon and lettuce. They are expected to face kidnapping and aggravated assaults charges.

The couple, both 23, told family members their son was the ``Christ Child'' and had to remain pure and so fed him a limited diet. He was brought to the hospital by worried family members.

David weighed 16 pounds when he was abducted. A normal 21-month-old would weigh between 22 and 32 pounds, doctors said.

After he arrived in Salt Lake City, Fink denied kidnapping or starving his son.

``All the allegations you've been reading in the newspaper that our family have been making, about us feeding our child lettuce and watermelon, are false,'' he said. ``Never in my life have I fed my son lettuce and watermelon.''

He has said he did not kidnap his son but sought to protect him. He said he was a fundamentalist Mormon excommunicated for his anti-abortion beliefs.

The couple's 2-week-old son, Elijah Evergreen Fink was born in the Montana wilderness while police searched for his parents. The baby, who had been breast-fed, appeared to be a healthy newborn with no sign of malnutrition.

Both children were flown to Salt Lake City on Wednesday and received medical evaluations. David is now gaining weight on a liquid diet.

Note: See the following statement issued by the TLC about the Finks

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