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Children In Parental Abduction Out Of Riverside County Found Safe In Modesto; Suspect In Custody

MODESTO (CBS13) — Authorities say the children allegedly abducted by their father in Riverside County have been found safe in Modesto.

An Amber Alert was issued late Friday night for the two children, 9-year-old Gino Costello and 5-year-old Memphis Zeko. The alert also listed a woman — Mariela Costello, 32 - as a victim and said all three victims were in danger. Authorities did not say if the woman was the children's mother.

The father was identified as Nicholas Zeko, 34.

All were last seen in Riverside County around 10 a.m. Thursday and were believed to be near Modesto.

On Saturday, the Modesto Police Department announced that the two children and suspect Nicholas Zeko were found at a local hotel around midnight. The children were unharmed.

***Update*** Investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department have advised MPD Detectives the missing female...

Posted by Modesto Police Department on Saturday, September 18, 2021

The woman, Costello, has still not been located.

Nicholas Zeko has been taken into custody.

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