A 23-year-old man was arrested on New Year's Day in Rome, suspected of kidnapping a 5-month-old infant, believed to be his own son. The Rome Police Department issued an alert early yesterday on social media, appealing to the public for assistance in locating the noncustodial father and the baby. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the child was taken around 4:40 a.m. from the Oyo Hotel in Rome, with images of the infant, the vehicle, and Julion Mazzo, the father, circulated to aid the search.
The police department later called off the search, confirming at 6:20 a.m. that Mazzo was in custody and that efforts were underway to reunite the child with his mother. Found after being last seen at OYO Hotel Rome West, GA, at the early hours yesterday, Atlanta News First conveyed that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had been involved due to concerns for the child's safety.
As per the Floyd County Jail's records, the suspect, Mazzo, was booked on charges of kidnapping and is being held without bond. However, the specific location where Mazzo was apprehended, or whether he gave himself up voluntarily, has yet to be released by authorities. Also, there has been no disclosure of whether the infant required any medical evaluation following the incident, and the motive behind the abduction remains under investigation.
There is still no word on whether Mazzo possessed a weapon during the abduction or if others might face charges in connection with aiding him. The investigation appears ongoing with several details still under wraps, illustrating a situation that has left more questions than answers in its wake. Kidnapping charges are pending, and the story will likely continue to evolve as investigators work to piece together the events of that New Year's Day abduction.
