A 6-month-old girl kidnapped Sunday night from Santa Barbara has been found safe in San Diego County, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Police Sgt. Riley Harwood told Noozhawk at 8:40 p.m. Monday that the child had been recovered, and her father, the suspected kidnapper, had been taken into custody.
The child is Nayeli Martinez, who had last been seen at about 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the alert.
The suspect in the abduction was identified as Joshua Ivan Martinez, 28, of Ventura.
Harwood said he did not have additional details on the arrest and recovery of the infant.
Martinez had been described as 5-foot-8, 187 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and beard, last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and green, white, and black DC shoes
He was last seen driving a 2013 black Ford Focus with temporary dealer plates that read “Garcia Auto Sales.”
The incident began with a domestic dispute Sunday in Ventura, where the family lives, according to Sgt. Riley Harwood of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
The argument between Martinez and the child’s mother, whose name was not released, continued after they drove up to Santa Barbara, and he eventually fled south with the infant, Harwood said.
Authorities believed Martinez and the child were in the San Diego area and headed for Mexico, Harwood said.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.