Boy allegedly abducted by dad is back with mom
A 6-year-old Modesto boy allegedly abducted by his father was found safe at a Dublin hotel Tuesday morning and returned home to be reunited with his mother.
A photo posted to Facebook by the Modesto Police Department shows Jayce Cosso walking across the front lawn to meet his mother, Kimberly Valente, at their Modesto home around noon. Other people and a bouquet of balloons next to the home’s entrance were there to greet him.
“Jayce is now with mom,” the caption read.
John Cosso, 41, was arrested by Alameda County sheriff ’s deputies and Dublin police at the La Quinta Inn on Dublin Boulevard at about 8 a.m. along with his 17-year-old son, who was not identified because he is a minor. The arCosso’s rests and rescue took place without incident or injury, said Capt. Nate Schmidt, of the Dublin Police Department.
It’s unclear whether John Cosso has been returned to Stanislaus County, but Schmidt said Modesto authorities will handle the case.
Online records show that John Cosso and Valente have been involved in a custody dispute involving Jayce since he was about 2 years old. The Modesto Bee reported that Valente was granted custody in 2016 and the father was allowed only scheduled and supervised visits.
Jayce was located about 24 hours after he was ripped from his mother’s arms in their Modesto home in a brazen kidnapping with five accomplices, authorities said.
Modesto police tracked the father and son an hour west to the Dublin area and Alameda County sheriff ’s deputies helped find them and make the arrest and rescue, said Sgt. Ray Kelly, a sheriff ’s spokesman.
“All we did was help them bring this to a safe conclusion,” Kelly said. “Modesto really worked hard on this. There were a lot of people working through the night to find this little boy.”
Valente told multiple news media outlets that a stranger posing as a utility worker knocked on her door on Poinsettia Drive early Monday morning. She said she saw car when asking the person to leave. Valente locked the door, she said, but another person arrived and broke in before pepper spraying her 17-year-old son and her sister. The mother reportedly grabbed Jayce and ran to her car, locking the doors, but John Cosso, another man and his older son broke in and took Jayce.
Modesto police said that five people, including three men, were involved in the abduction.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert on Monday afternoon to help find Cosso’s 2012 black Ford Fusion, and a description of the father noted he has face tattoos, including an “om” symbol.