A 4-year-old girl taken after an Easter service in Madera was found safe and sound in Turlock Sunday afternoon and her alleged kidnapper put behind bars.
Josephine Moreno, 41, of Madera, is accused of kidnapping the young girl. She was booked into the Madera County Jail and faces charges of kidnapping and child endangerment, as well as parole violations, according to the Madera Police Department.
The incident began around noon Sunday at the conclusion of an Easter service in Madera. According to the Madera Police Department, Moreno offered to give the 4-year-old girl and her mother a ride home from the church service.
Moreno and the mother of the child were aquatinted with one another, a Madera investigator said.
According to the police report, the mother put her daughter in the car and turned to speak to someone nearby. In that moment, Moreno drove away with the child.
About three hours later, as efforts to find Moreno and the child mounted, Moreno called the Madera Police Department. According to an investigator, Moreno told them she had the girl with her and that they were at a friend’s apartment in Turlock.
Turlock Police Sgt. Nino Amirfar said Turlock officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 900 block of Pedras Road, where they took Moreno into custody without incident. The little girl was found safe and was reunited with her mother later Sunday night.
It was not known why Moreno took the girl, but a Madera investigator said she did have a history of mental illness.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.