Update: Details emerge in violent kidnapping of 6-year-old boy in Modesto

Modesto police are searching for a young child who was violently abducted by his father and five others Monday morning.

Kimberly Valente, the mother of 6-year-old Jayce Cosso, struggled to catch her breath between tears as she described the harrowing events of the morning when her estranged boyfriend and two other men ripped her son from her arms.

“All three of them were banging on the windows while Jayce and me were screaming and then they got the doors open. (They) were pulling (us) apart ... they’re both pulling me,” Valente. “And I was holding on and, I don’t know, they got him.”

The abduction occurred at about 7:30 a.m. at Valente’s home on Poinsettia Drive, northeast of Standiford Avenue and Tully Road.

John Cosso, 41, along with two other men and three women went to Valente’s home and forced their way inside, according to Modesto Police spokeswoman Sharon Bear. Family members said one of the males with Cosso was his 17-year-old son, Dominic.

Cosso and the other suspects arrived at the home in two cars; a black car driven by a woman and a gold Honda that belongs to Dominic Cosso, Valente’s family said. Monday afternoon, authorities issued an Amber Alert for a 2012 black Ford Fusion, license plate no. 8BDY654.

Malisa Angervil, Valente’s sister, was at the home at the time of the kidnapping. She said one of the men - someone they don’t know - knocked on the door and said he was from Pacific Gas & Electric. He said something was wrong with the gas line.

Valente told him she would not let him in the home, then saw Dominic’s gold Honda Accord parked out front and knew something was wrong.

She closed the door and bolted it shut, Angervil said.

“Then all of a sudden pounding, they were like kicking, pounding the door ... you could see it bouncing,” Angervil said.

Valente’s other sons - 9, 17 and 19 years-old - were also at the home. Cosso is only the father of Jayce.

Valente yelled for Angervil to call 911 while she got Jayce and ran to hide.

“We (she and Angervil’s teenage sons) are trying to hold the door closed,” Angervil said. “I am trying to call the cops and they get in, they break the door open.”

All the men, and two of the women, forced their way into the house.

They pushed their way past Angervil and the boys and one of the women sprayed her and Valente’s 17-year-old son with pepper spray.

“I can’t see ... I am on the phone with the dispatcher and she keeps trying to get me to say what is going on ... everyone is screaming,” Angervil said.

Valente got to her vehicle through the garage and tried to leave with Jayce but one of the cars blocked her path.

Family said one of the men got a tool box and smashed the window of Valente’s car so they were able to get in and rip him from his mother’s arms.

The suspects took Jayce to the black car.

“I went to the car and I got in the car and I still couldn’t get him,” Valente said. “They pulled me out and hit me and I jumped in the driver’s side window and I was holding onto the steering wheel … my (19-year-old) son jumped in the window and he got dragged too.”

Police say the suspects got away with Jayce in a mid-2000’s black mid-sized vehicle.

Officers located the gold car in northwest Modesto, Bear said. Nobody was in it.

Jayce is two and a half feet tall, 35 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black Transformers T-shirt and green camouflage shorts.

Valente’s family said Cosso has been physically abusive to Valente and at least two other woman in the past. They said he’s also been emotionally abusive to Jayce and after one such incident last week Valente hired a lawyer and filed paperwork to get full custody.

Stanislaus Superior Court records indicate a tumultuous custody over Jayce began when the boy was just shy of his second birthday. Two years ago, Cosso claimed in court documents that Valente took Jayce from him after she and some other people forced their way into his home.

On Aug. 21, 2014, Valente filed in court a request for joint custody of Jayce with his father getting visitation rights. Subsequent hearings in the custody case in 2014 and 2015 were either postponed or dropped, according to court records.

On Oct. 17, 2016, Cosso filed a request seeking a temporary emergency court order that would grant him legal and physical custody of Jayce. In a filed declaration to support his request, Cosso told the court that Jayce’s mother had taken his son from him by force on Oct. 14, 2016.

Cosso wrote in the court declaration that “numerous people came into my home, choked me and held me down in front of my two sons.” He also claimed he was assaulted further outside in front of his home. There was no indication that Cosso’s claims were verified, and his request for a temporary emergency court order was denied.

On Oct. 18, 2016, Valente filed a court request seeking a restraining order to prevent domestic violence, but court records did not indicate what prompted the mother’s request. The court granted a temporary restraining order the following day, ordering Cosso to stay 100 yards away from Jayce, his mother and her three other sons.

On Nov. 7, 2016, Judge Jack Jacobson ordered joint legal custody of Jayce. The judge ruled that his mother would have sole legal custody and have all non-designated time with her son. Jacobson also ordered that Cosso’s visit with his son would be under the supervision and presence of Sierra Vista Child and Family Services.

The court scheduled appointments later that month for Jayce and his Valente’s other sons to be interviewed in an evaluation session with Family Court Services. It’s unclear whether the evaluations were conducted and resulted in any court findings.

In Dec. 6, 2016, Cosso filed a declaration claiming that several court-ordered video chats and calls with his son in November 2016 were interrupted by Valente or her relatives. He said a video chat on Dec. 1, 2016 was hung-up after Valente’s sister called. Cosso claimed that Valente’s sister sent him a text message that indicated he could try calling his son the following day.

Investigators ask anyone If you have information on their whereabouts call Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636 or 209-552-2470.

This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 9:54 AM.