Marysville boy who went missing in 2021 found in Seattle; father arrested
Oct 24, 2024, 1:21 PM | Updated: 1:25 pm
A water tower and more of the city of Marysville can be seen in a recent photo. (Photo courtesy of the city of Marysville/"City of Marysville WA - government" Facebook page)
(Photo courtesy of the city of Marysville/"City of Marysville WA - government" Facebook page)
Carlo Ponte, who was reported missing by his mother in July 2021 when he was three years old, was located Tuesday in Seattle, the Marysville Police Department (MPD) reported Wednesday. The boy, who is safe and healthy, was found with his father, Jorge Ponte.
An arrest warrant was issued in 2021 for Jorge Ponte, who was believed to have committed the crime of custodial interference by taking custody of his child and withholding access to him from his mother, the MPD stated in a statement on Facebook. It is believed that Jorge Ponte, 55, had Carlo Ponte in his care during the three-year period the boy was missing.
Ahead of the father’s capture, the MPD explained on Facebook that it received an anonymous tip this week the man and his son were staying in Seattle. With the assistance of the Violent Offender’s Task Force (VOTF), the boy was recovered and Jorge Ponte was taken into custody for first-degree custodial interference.
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The Daily Herald in Everett reported prosecutors charged the elder Ponte in August 2021, weeks after he allegedly picked up his son for a scheduled visit on July 21, 2021 and never returned him to his mother. A $100,000 warrant had been out for his arrest since then.
“It’s really upsetting, like I can’t even cry right now,” Carlo Ponce’s mother Rebecca said to the Daily Herald in 2021. “I was crying every day. It’s just really hard.”
Jorge and Rebecca Ponte were going through a divorce at the time the Carlo Ponce was taken, the Everett outlet reported. For a few months before the boy went missing, the father had been able to see his one week day and one weekend day per week, court documents acquired by the Daily Herald state.
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Carlo Ponte has a developmental disability and was non-verbal. The boy was born prematurely, 23 weeks into the pregnancy, the Daily Herald explained. After he was born, he spent five months in the hospital. He was due to get surgery a couple months after he went missing.
Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.
