The Department of Children and Families (DCF) was called to investigate threats James and Mai Firth allegedly made to kill their children and themselves in a “suicide pact” they had agreed to. The family resides in Vietnam and traveled to the United States to obtain treatment for their 4 year-old Autistic daughter Chieu “Kristin” Firth. 

Law enforcement says that the “suicide pact” was the result of James and Mai Firth’s frustration that “Kristen’s” Autism is expensive to treat. James and Mai Firth stated they would kill the children and themselves if “the money ran out” or “Kristen” didn’t show improvement during treatment. 

Before DCF could shelter the children, James Firth allegedly lied to the DCF investigator about the location of the hotel the family was residing in and then disappeared with the family during the time it took for DCF to locate the correct hotel.

The family was last seen near the Florida Institute of Technology and does not have ties to Melbourne. James Firth has family in Ormond Beach, Florida, and in Michigan and Arizona. 

The family may be traveling to San Francisco, California to board an international flight to Vietnam. The family is riding in a silver 2002 Lexus SUV, Florida license plate 612PGW, which is registered to James Firth.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of this family, please call the Melbourne Police Department at 321-409-2200, or Crimeline: 1-800-423-TIPS (8477), or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: 1-800- THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).