Marshall County Sheriff's Department holds press conference following arrest made in the abduction of a 3-month-old in Plymouth
PLYMOUTH, Ind. -- 45-year-old Bobbie Jo Novak is charged with kidnapping and criminal confinement, accused of abducting a three-month-old boy in Marshall County.
It is still not clear exactly why she allegedly grabbed the baby or what she was planning to do next when she was caught by police in Merrillville Tuesday afternoon.
The Marshall County Sheriff's Department held a brief press conference at 9:30 Wednesday morning. Lt. Detective Les McFarland shared his statement and charging documents after the press conference, but local media was not given the opportunity to ask questions. What we did confirm is that the baby is a boy.
45-year-old Bobbie Jo Novak allegedly took the child from his home in the area of Del-Lo-Me Lane in Plymouth. Camera footage played a crucial part in finding the baby.
At approximately 11:40 a.m. is when the Marshall County Sheriff's Department learned about the child's abduction.
In this picture provided by a neighbor, you can see police outside of the home and the yard taped off.
At approximately 2:08 p.m. is when officers from the Merrillville Police Department and US Marshall's office located the vehicle in question.
"The suspect's vehicle which was a 2017 blue Cadillac was spotted by a flock camera in the area of Cleveland and 57th Street in Merrillville, Indiana," said Lt. Detective McFarland.
According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, Novak was taken into custody in the parking lot of Save A Lot in Merrillville.
"Bobbie Jo Novak is currently being housed in the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, currently with no bond," McFarland shared.
12 departments and agencies worked together to safely and quickly return the boy to his parents; they are listed below.
- Marshall County Sheriff's Department
- Marshall County Division of Child Services
- Marshall County Dispatch
- Marshall County Prosecutor's Office
- Marshall County Drug Task Force
- Indiana State Police
- Plymouth Police Department
- US Marshall Service
- Merrillville Police Department
- Fulton County Sheriff Department
- Federal Bureau of Investigations along
- Lake County Sheriff's Department
The Marshall County Sheriff's Department would not share the relationship between Bobbie Jo Novak and the baby. After speaking with neighbors, we are working to confirm that. We're also looking into whether there was a delay in 9-1-1 being called.
One question many people are still asking is why they didn't get an amber alert on their phones.
ABC57 confirmed with ISP in conjunction with the Indiana Clearinghouse for information on Missing Children and Endangered Adults that they received a request from the Marshall County Sheriff's Department for an amber alert. That request was approved; however, the baby was located before the alert could be sent out and it was cancelled.
Officials were unable to tell me how long the process usually takes since the child was missing for at least two hours.
