‘All that matters is he’s home.’ 6-year-old boy delivered safely to mom; dad arrested

A tip to CrimeStoppers led to the successful rescue of a 6-year-old Modesto boy and the arrest of his father, accused of kidnapping him in a violent, well-planned incident.

A police official delivered Jayce Cosso to the welcoming arms of his mother, Kimberly Valente, at their north Modesto home Tuesday afternoon. He was greeted by several family members and balloons, and he waved and smiled at news crews across the street.

“That’s all that matters is he’s home,” a smiling Valente said afterward. She said earlier she had spent a mostly sleepless night, hoping for any updates from police.

Jayce was found with his father, John Cosso, 41, at a La Quinta motel in Dublin, authorities said.

At 8 a.m., deputies from Alameda County Sheriff’s Department took Cosso and his 17-year old son, Dominic, into custody without incident as they left the motel on Dublin Boulevard, according to Modesto Police. Detectives with the sheriff’s office along with Dublin Police and in conjunction with Modesto Police had been watching the hotel throughout the night. They waited for him to leave the hotel to arrest him.

“All we wanted was peaceful resolution,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly. “We wanted to do that in the most low-key way possible; we didn’t want to create any extra problems for the boy so we did it in a way that was the least traumatic.”

The investigation continues as Modesto Police are conducting interviews to identify and locate the other four suspects.

The incident began about 7:30 a.m. Monday, when John Cosso and five other people — including his 17-year-old son — went to the Valente’s home, police said. According to family, a man who was not familiar to them claimed to be with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and said he needed to check the pipes.

When Kimberly Valente wouldn’t let in the man, Cosso and his accomplices broke down the door. One of them pepper sprayed the victims, including Valente’s 17-year-old son. Valente tried to get away with Jayce by car, but the suspects blocked her in, family members said. Two men held Valente’s arms while a third took the boy from the car, and the suspects drove away.

Detectives worked throughout the day Monday and into the night, searching a home connected to Cosso, issuing an Amber alert for Jayce and pleading with the public for help in finding the Ford Fusion in which they drove away.

It was a tip from a caller to CrimeStoppers that led to Tuesday’s happy reunion.

“We had tips coming in on Facebook, Instagram, CrimeStoppers and we followed up on the leads throughout the evening and then with the help of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, we took (John Cosso) into custody this morning,” Modesto Police spokeswoman Sharon Bear said.

As for Jayce, Bear said, “He’s in good spirits, he seemed excited to come home. He didn’t seem harmed in any way.”

Both John and Dominic Cosso were still being interviewed by detectives Tuesday afternoon.

Bear said John Cosso will be booked on suspicion of kidnapping, burglary, domestic violence and child endangerment and held on $300,000 bail.

She said his son will be booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of kidnapping, burglary and cruelty to a child.

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 2:17 PM with the headline "‘All that matters is he’s home.’ 6-year-old boy delivered safely to mom; dad arrested."