Ferndale man accused of illegally taking his child from Bellingham home arrested near Bellevue
Authorities arrested a Ferndale man accused of illegally taking his 8-month-old child from a residence in Bellingham’s Happy Valley neighborhood this week.
Mariano Adajar Malpezzi, 21, is the child’s biological father but he did not have full custody of the child or permission to enter the residence, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department.
Malpezzi arrived at the residence around 5:49 a.m. Monday in the 500 block of 32nd Street. He knocked on the door, but police say when nobody answered he entered without permission. He walked past the mother and another adult, straight to the child’s bedroom, Murphy said.
He then took the child and pushed his way past the mother and the other adult who tried to stop him. He got into his vehicle and drove off.
Police responded to the residence and began making calls to other law enforcement agencies as Malpezzi allegedly made comments about heading to Nevada, Murphy said.
Washington State Patrol officers located the suspect’s white Chevy Equinox on Interstate 5 near Bellevue a few hours later and took him into custody without incident, Murphy reported.
Malpezzi was returned to Whatcom County and is in custody at Whatcom County jail. He has since been charged with first-degree burglary, a class A felony, and second-degree kidnapping, a class B felony.
Editor’s note (March 20): This article was updated to include the suspect’s name once he was charged.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM.
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