What started as a harrowing report of a missing toddler in Novato yesterday ended with relief, as police say a 3-year-old was kidnapped, driven away in a car, then found unharmed and reunited with their parents. The suspect was booked into Marin County Jail, with bail set at $500,000.
According to KRON4, officers first responded to a disturbance call on Martin Drive, which quickly escalated into a countywide be-on-the-lookout alert for the child and the suspect. The outlet reports detectives identified 39-year-old Benjamin Buckley as the suspect, and an officer later spotted him and the child getting out of a silver Saturn on Center Road around 11 AM.
How Officers Say They Tracked Them Down
The Novato Police Department said officers activated a countywide roadblock protocol and began canvassing neighborhoods immediately after the initial report. That coordinated push, according to the department, helped an on-duty officer locate the vehicle and move in on the suspect. Buckley was taken into custody, and police said the child was not injured.
The Novato Police Department has shared contact details for tips and is asking anyone with surveillance video or other information related to the incident to come forward…